101 TRAVEL TACTICS the Best Tips for International Vacations, Flights, and Hotels, Including Internet Tricks and Literary Treks by Kendall Callas

101 TRAVEL TACTICS The best tips for international vacations, flights, and hotels, including Internet tricks and literary treks By Kendall Callas

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION...... 1 DESTINATION INSPIRATION...... 2 PLANNING YOUR TRIP...... 18 Popular Times® graphs for travelers...... 22 Internet searches for travelers...... 23 TRAVEL TIMING...... 26 FIND YOUR FLIGHT...... 28 LOOK FOR LODGING...... 31 WHAT TO BRING...... 36 LEARN SOME LINGO...... 46 Cognates for travelers...... 48 MONEY...... 49 MEDICAL MATTERS...... 53 PACKING...... 56 JUST BEFORE YOU GO...... 59 TRANSIT TIPS...... 62 HOTEL/HOME...... 66 TECH TALK...... 69 CAMERA CLUES...... 71 TRAVEL ‘TO DO’...... 73 NUTS AND BOLTS...... 81 RECOMMENDED READING...... 89

INTRODUCTION

Flying to an international vacation? I want to help you get the most from the wide wonderful world that Internet booking and jet travel bring within reach.

These are my best tips, presented as briefly and readably as possible – less is more – with lots of tech tips, and plenty of travel stories from my real experiences.

I hope to share my enthusiasm about travel and the conviction that travel will make you a better person. Web links and Internet searches are included to help you reach out for more information. (The book references reveal me as the son of an English teacher.)

Bon Voyage!

DESTINATION INSPIRATION

1. Travel strategy. Consider travel as a tool. By getting on that plane you can see the wonders of the world, learn about the culture and cuisine of foreign lands, gather with friends and family, follow the footsteps of your favorite authors and historical figures, volunteer to help the planet, shop for bargains, even benefit from medical tourism. Here are a few suggestions to help make your choices about why, where and when: • Before they’re gone: Rising sea levels threaten islands worldwide – Caribbean islands, Fiji, Indonesia (Bali), Macau, the Maldives, the Pacific Islands (Polynesia, J Vanuatu), Philippines, Puerto Rico, Seychelles – and coastal resorts including Australia, Belize, Cambodia, Croatia, the Mediterranean, St. Tropez, Thailand, Venice, and Vietnam. Global warming will damage glaciers, beaches, endangered species, and coral reefs. See them while you can. • Early in life: See the world, study a language, visit the country of your family’s heritage, learn about other cultures. Travel rough and take risks while you can easily handle exertion, hot/cold extremes, and altitude sickness. Walk/backpack/ski/kayak/canoe/raft. Take the long flights and stay in hostels and cheap hotels; tent camp in the wilderness, sleep on the beach. Recommendations: Parasail,

2 hang glide, parachute! See the Sphinx and Pyramids (Egypt), hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu (Peru), walk Hadrian’s Wall (England) or the Milford Track (Australia), and tour high altitude destinations (Tibet, Bolivia/Peru, Kilimanjaro, Mt. Everest). • Physical challenges: Tour South America by horse, kayak Baja Mexico, snorkel the Great Barrier Reef, scale Mt. Everest(!), walk around an island (Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja Mexico). • Later in life: Relax, shop, sample exotic cuisine, visit distant friends and family, gamble, revisit childhood experiences, tackle your ‘bucket’ list. You will likely T prefer shorter flights, hotels and cushy lodging – fly/cruise/train/barge. Enjoy chaperoned trips that educate with a social component, and minimize risk of falls and accidents. Recommendations: Packaged tours according to your interests. • Don’t miss: - swim in a foreign sea - go on safari - experience a luxury cruise - take a long train trip - drink lots of beer at Oktoberfest, Germany (September - October) - feel wonder at the world’s top museums: the Louvre, Vatican, British Museum ... - boat upriver to see the deep jungle: the Amazon, Mekong, Congo, Borneo ... - visit one of the world’s fleshpots: Bangkok, Amsterdam, Macau, Las Vegas ... - tour underground: catacombs (Paris or Rome), the Cistern Basilica (Istanbul), the Cu Chi tunnels (Vietnam), under the Metropolitan Cathedral (Mexico City) ... - boat a great waterway: the Nile, Danube, Ganges, Panama Canal, Venice canals ... - go balloon “flightseeing” over a spectacular panorama: the Pyramids, the Nazca Lines, Cappadocia, the Serengeti ... - admire man’s great constructions: the Great Wall of China, the Eiffel Tower, Stonehenge, Versailles, the Coliseum ... - visit Istanbul, the Taj Mahal, Pompeii, Rio ... - ride a giant Ferris wheel: the Millennium Wheel (“London Eye”), Tokyo’s Big ‘O’, the Singapore Flyer, the Riesenrad (built 1897) in Vienna, Austria ...

3 2. Walk the wall. Many fortresses England: At Hadrian’s Wall in and walled cities have crumbled the spring – lambing season – I to ruins. But several famous saw week-old lambs, pure white, ancient walls still exist and offer wobbling on their new legs. Two interesting guidelines for an exer- of the cute little guys jumped at cise+history vacation. The Great each other to playfully butt heads. Wall of China is famous (a bus That night at a pub in Haltwhistle, I felt a pang of remorse as I ate a ride from Beijing). Hadrian's succulent dinner of lamb shoulder. Wall separating England from Scotland offers 77 miles of paths punctuated by B&Bs and Roman forts. The wall around the old city of Jerusalem provides a 2.5 mile China: The Great Wall offers a lesson in the folly of expensive walk. The Anastasian Wall runs military defenses. What good is 35 miles near Istanbul. The Walls a wall if invaders can breach it of Benin (Nigeria) comprise the by bribing the guards? (As the largest ancient man-made Qing armies did in 1644.) And, structure (lengthwise). Europe no, it can’t be seen from space. and Asia are peppered with ancient walled cities. Internet search: “ancient walls” and see: • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defensive_wall • history.com/news/history-lists/7-famous-border-walls Recommended: The Milford Track – the “finest walk in the world” (33 miles in New Zealand), the Inca Trail (4 days, 26 miles) to the ‘lost city’ of Machu Picchu, the Champs-Élysées (2 miles in Paris), 6 miles around Ayers Rock (Australia), the Las Vegas Strip, the 'Walk of the Gods' to Positano on the Amalfi coast, and the ‘Golden Mile’ of shopping in Kowloon (Hong Kong).

4 3. Iron road to adventure. A train trip delivers you to an exotic locale, but the journey can be just as fun as the arrival. Ideal for solos, seniors, families, and challenging weather, t the ride includes lodging – you don’t need to pack/unpack for each new city. Many routes offer famous trips:

• Africa: South Africa safari train – Visit Pretoria, Capetown and Victoria Falls to spot lions, leopards, buffalo, elephants, and black rhinos! Vintage decor, all-you-can-eat+drink inclusive. 3 days, runs all year. Rovos.com • Australia: Indian Pacific, Sydney to Perth. Spot kangaroos in some of the most spectacular terrain on Earth. Coast to coast through the Nullarbor Plain, with a stop in Adelaide. 2700 miles, 3 nights. Runs all year, plus a Christmas special. ‘All aboard’ for recliner seats, sleeper cabins, or private carriages. https://JourneyBeyondRail.com.au • Canada: Rocky Mountaineer, Vancouver to Banff through the Canadian Rockies, overnight in Kamloops. 520 miles, 2 days. Runs April - October. www.RockyMountaineer.com or www.CanadianTrainVacations.com. Also, VIA Rail Canada runs Vancouver to Toronto through the Rockies on vintage cars. All year long, 3 trains/week. www.ViaRail.ca. • Eurasia: Trans-Siberian Railroad, aka the Red Express, is the world’s longest train ride. Spot camels and yurts as you cross Siberia and the Mongolian steppes to follow Genghis Khan, pass Lake Baikal, and The Great Wall of China: Berlin - Prague - Warsaw - Leningrad - Moscow - Vladivostok - Harbin - Beijing. 4735 miles, 6 nights. Departs Moscow every Tuesday night. https://www.TransSiberianExpress.net • Europe: Eurostar Chunnel to Holland, London to Amsterdam at speeds up to 186 mph. 4 hours, runs all year, board at St. Pancras station. www.Eurostar.com • Europe: Venice Simplon-Orient Express, London - Calais - Paris - Milan - Venice. Luxurious accommodations, but no showers and no smoking. 800+ miles, 2 days. Runs March - November. www.Belmond.com/trains/euro pe/venice-simplon-orient-express

5 • France: TVG, Paris, Calais, Brussels, Marseille, Strasbourg, Basel, etc., at up to 186 mph. Some trains are double-decker. Internet search: “France + TVG” • India: Taj Express, New Delhi to Agra, where you can visit the exquisite Taj Mahal. 125 miles, 2 hours. Internet search: “Taj Express + New Delhi + Agra” • Japan: The Shinkansen bullet train, Tokyo to Kyoto, 2 or 3 hours depending on train, 320 miles, at speeds up to 170 mph. Runs all year. Internet search: “Shinkansen + bullet train + Tokyo + Kyoto” • Mexico: El Chepe, Chihuahua to the Pacific, through scenic Copper Canyon and rugged Sierra Madre mountains. A/C, 400 miles, 16 hours. Runs all year. www.chepe.com.mx • Morocco: Al Boraq, Casablanca to Tangier at up to 200 mph. 210 miles, 2½ hours. www.oncf.ma/en • New Zealand: Taieri Gorge Limited, day trip to the sensational South Island gorge. 48-miles, 4 hours. www.taieri.co.nz • Peru: Andean Explorer, Lake Titicaca to Cusco (jumping off point for Machu Picchu). 175 miles, 11 hours. Runs all year, departs early Tuesday mornings from Puno. www. Belmond.com/trains/south-america/peru/bel mond-andean-explorer or www.PeruRail.com • Peru: Machu Picchu, busy line from Cusco (Poroy) follows the Urubamba River and the Sacred Valley to the famous Inca ruins. About 3½ hours. Internet search: “machu picchu + train” • Thailand+Malay Peninsula: Eastern & Oriental Express, Bangkok - Kuala Lumpur - Singapore. Cross ‘The Bridge on the River Kwai’. A/C, 1260 miles, 3 days. Sept to March. www.Belmon d.com/trains/asia/eastern-and-oriental-express • Vietnam: Reunification Express, Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, follows the South China Sea coast. 1070 miles, 30 hours. Recommended October to December to avoid monsoon rains. https://Vietnam-railway.com/train/Sa paTourist/reunification-express-train

(Source: National Geographic, Journeys of a Lifetime; 500 of the World’s Greatest Trips)

6 4. The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Trace the thread of ancient culture by visiting Greece, Turkey, and Egypt.

1- The Great Pyramid of Giza, Cairo, Egypt - Boat the Nile, explore Cairo, see the Sphinx and ponder the Riddle of the Sphinx: “What is the creature that walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon and three in the evening?” 2- The Colossus of Rhodes, island of Rhodes, Greece - Greece: My favorite transit destroyed by earthquake (226 ever was a ferry, from Crete to BC); marked now by statues of Rhodes. After rushing to get on board in time, there’s nothing a stag and a doe at the former to do but relax and enjoy hours locations of the feet. Take a of scenery at the luxuriant pace ferry from Athens (Piraeus) for of water travel. The motion on a beautiful, relaxing boat ride; the water is a kind of physical visit the casino and walled poetry that slows everything down. fortress, then stroll the harbor where the Colossus once stood. Visit Turkey! Though Greece oozes history, Turkey offers 3- The Pharos (lighthouse) of great prices, fewer tourists, a Alexandria, Egypt - destroyed beautiful coast, crusader by earthquake (AD 1303); found castles, friendly folk, and better collapsed in the nearby sea. The Greek ruins than in Greece. site of the Nile delta and the world’s most famous library, Turkey: As we took a ferry Alexandria became the world’s across the Bosporus from premiere storehouse of know- Istanbul, we sat inside a comfy ledge with an ‘information tax’ cabin and ordered apple tea. – a copy was made of every Other passengers started paying attention when the scroll that came into the harbor. waiter came to collect payment. 4- The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, We were completely mystified Bodrum, Turkey - collapsed by when an argument broke out (in Turkish). As best we could earthquake. View a model of figure, the waiter had charged the Tomb of King Mausoleus, us the ‘tourist price’ and the and visit the scenic Crusader other passengers were castle on the nearby bay, built criticizing him for cheating us. using the recycled stones. 5- The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, near Selcuk, Turkey - destroyed by arson (356 BC) and again by plundering (AD262). Ephesus is one of Turkey’s most fascinating archeological sites. 6- The Statue of Zeus at Olympia, one of the most visited sites in Greece - destroyed by fire. 7- Hanging Gardens of Babylon, near Nineveh, Iraq - built by King Nebuchadnezzar II; no longer exist.

For more information, visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Seven_Wonders_of_the_Ancient_World Also see www.Ancient.eu and www.Britannica.com.

7 &

5. Follow famous footsteps. Germany: It was a thrill to eat Trace the journey of a famous a berliner (a jelly donut) and author or historical figure. Learn appreciate the amusing ambiguity and plan with these books: of John F. Kennedy’s famous line, “Ich bin ein Berliner.” • Alexander the Great - Follow his path of victory through Greece, Turkey, the Middle East, Egypt, and Asia to India, as he conquered the known world, 330-320 BC: Alexander’s Path, Stark; Alexander the Great and His Empire, Briant; In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great: A Journey from Greece to Asia, Wood; Alexander the Great; The Hunt for a New Past, Cartledge; The Genius of Alexander the Great, Hammond; The Nature of Alexander, Renault • Agatha Christie - Trace her 1922 surfing adventures in Hawaii, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand; board a train in Istanbul to follow her trek to Syria, Iraq, and Egypt – see Tur- key’s Turquoise Coast, Ur (birthplace of the written word), Baghdad, Damascus, and the Nile: Death on the Nile, Christie; Murder on the Orient Express, Christie; Come, Tell Me How You Live, Christie; Agatha, Martinetti; The Grand Tour, Christie; The 8:55 to Baghdad, Eames. (Alas, the Orient Express exists no longer, but you can easily book modern rail transit from Paris to Istanbul.) • Cleopatra - Queen of Egypt, who seduced Mark Antony and battled against Rome, leading to her suicide-by-snake in 30 B.C.: A Brief History of Cleopatra, Trow; Cleopatra: A Life, Schiff; Cleopatra the Great: The Woman Behind the Legend, Fletcher; The Tragedy of Anthony and Cleopatra, Shakespeare (Neill ed.); The Reign of Cleopatra, Burstein; Cleopatra and Rome, Kleiner • Charles Darwin - In 1831, only 22 years old, Darwin set out on the HMS Beagle on a voyage around the world which changed

8 science forever. Retrace highlights of his daring 5-year journey by sailing from Rio de Janeiro to Montevideo, the Falkland Islands, Tierra del Fuego, Patagonia, Valparaiso, Lima, the Galapagos Islands, Tahiti, New Zealand, and Australia: Voyage of the Beagle, Darwin; Darwin in Galápagos, Grant; Fossils, Finches, and Fuegians: Darwin's Adventures and Discoveries on the Beagle, Keynes • Charles Dickens - Travels in Britain, France, and Italy: Pictures from Italy: Genoa, Venice, Rome, Naples, Florence, Dickens. • Hannibal - The great military general from Carthage crossed the French Alps in 218 BC with 37 elephants and 40,000 soldiers – Cartagena to Marseille to Rome: Hannibal's Footsteps, Bernard • Ernest Hemingway - Starting in 1918, for 40 years, he adventured in Italy, Paris, Africa, Spain, and Cuba: Green Hills of Africa, Hemingway; Hemingway in Africa: The Last Safari, Ondaatje; The Dangerous Summer, Hemingway; Hemingway in Spain; a Pers- onal Reminiscence of Hemingway's Years in Spain by His Friend, Puche; Hemingway's Spain: Imagining the Spanish World, Eby • Herodotus - The ‘first historian’ wandered the known world about 450 BC, collecting stories of tribes in Italy, Turkey, the Middle East, Egypt, India, and Persia: The Histories, Herodotus; The Travels of Herodotus, Lister • Jack London - Sample his life of adventure, from Hawaii to Tahiti, Bora Bora, Fiji, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, and Australia: The Cruise of the Snark, London; The Cruise of the Dazzler, London; Jack London's Klondike Adventure: The True Story of Jack London's Personal Odyssey from San Francisco to the Arctic Circle, Across the Breadth of Alaska and Home Again, Wilson • Florence Nightingale - 1849 visit to Egypt and Greece: Letters from Egypt: A Journey on the Nile, 1849-1850, Nightingale; The Twelve Rooms of the Nile, Shomer • Odysseus - Homer’s hero (a.k.a. Ulysses) of The Odyssey struggles home to Greece

9 after the Trojan War, island hopping from Troy (coastal Turkey) to Lesbos, Santorini, Crete, Sicily, Corfu: No Man's Lands: One Man's Odyssey Through The Odyssey, Huler; The World of Odysseus, Finley • Marco Polo - Trace his journey into the unknown along the Silk Road in 1300s China, from Venice to Beijing: The Travels of Marco Polo, Polo; Marco Polo: From Venice to Xanadu, Bergreen; In the Footsteps of Marco Polo, Belliveau; Marco Polo, Venetian Adventurer, Hart; Marco Polo and the Discovery of the World, Larner • Robert Louis Stevenson - 1870s visits to France and Scotland, and 1880-90s sailing the South Seas, to Hawaii, Tahiti, and Samoa: Treasure Island, Stevenson; In the South Seas, Stevenson; Robert Louis Stevenson in Samoa, Farrell; R.L.S. in the South Seas: An Intimate Photographic Record, Knight ed.; Treasure Islands: Sailing the South Seas in the Wake of Fanny and Robert Louis Stevenson, Stephenson; Recollections of Robert Louis Stevenson in the Pacific, Johnstone • Hunter S. Thompson - Follow the ‘gonzo’ journalist’s 1963 dispatches for the National Observer from Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay; The Footloose American: Following the Hunter S. Thompson Trail Across South America, Kevin • Mark Twain - 1867 star-studded luxury cruise to the Holy Land on the ship Quaker City, and travels to the Middle East, India, Africa, New Zealand, and Australia: The Innocents Abroad, Twain; A Tramp Abroad, Twain; Roughing it, Twain; Following the Equator, Twain; American Vandal: Mark Twain Abroad, Morris; Around the World with Mark Twain, Cooper; Chasing the Last Laugh: Mark Twain's Raucous and Redemptive Round-the- World Comedy Tour, Zacks; Mark Twain Abroad; The Cruise of the Quaker City, Dewey; “Our Famous Guest”: Mark Twain in Vienna, Dolmetsch; Mark Twain in Para- dise: His Voyages to Bermuda, Hoffmann

10 6. Literary walks and guides. Peek into the homes and haunts of famous authors and historical figures. These books will help:

• Britain + Ireland - Criminal London, A Sightseers England: The Tower of London Guide to the Capital of Crime; is full of history and sparkles with the Crown Jewels. A Kris Hollington – Murderers, diamond exhibit there offers an felons, detectives ... over 100 interesting historical anecdote: sites, 3 walks, many curiosities. The Cullinan Diamond (the world’s largest uncut diamond - Literary Britain and Ireland; A – as big as your fist) was Guide to the Places that unearthed in South Africa in Inspired Great Writers; Jane 1905 and sent to London where Struthers – Essays and pics it was cut into 5 precious stones. of over 100 sites. (no walks) Subterfuge was used to assure its safe delivery: A heavily - A Literary Guide to Ireland; guarded decoy was sent to Susan Cahill – Geographically London by ship; the real gem was sent by ordinary parcel focused - Joyce, Keats, Shaw, post. Yes, it arrived safely. Spencer, Swift ... (no walks) - Literary Landscapes; Walking Tours in Great Britain and Ireland; L. N. Franco – An essay and walks each for Words- worth’s Lake District, the Brontë’s moors, D.H. Lawrence’s Midlands, Lewis Carroll’s Oxford, Thomas Hardy’s Dorset, Jane Austen’s Bath, Dylan Thomas’s Wales, James Joyce’s Dublin, and Yeats’ western Ireland. - Mystery Reader’s Walking Guide: England; Alzina Dale – Neighborhood walks connect you to famous mysteries and detectives in Bath, Brighton, Cambridge, Dorchester/ Charmouth, Ely, Greenwich/Blackheath, Newmarket, Oxford, Salisbury, Shrewsbury, Stratford-upon-Avon, the Thames River, and Windsor/Eton/Ascot. - Mystery Reader’s Walking Guide: London; Barbara Hendershott – 13 walks to landmarks in The City, Inns of Court/Fleet Street, Covent Garden/The Strand, Blooms- bury, Soho, Mayfair/Oxford Street, St. James, Marylebone/Regent’s Park, Westminster, Brompton/Hyde Park, Chelsea, Belgravia/ Pimlico, and Hampstead Village/Highgate Village related to famous sleuths, mysteries, and detectives. - Scotland: A Literary Guide for Travellers; Garry MacKenzie – Insights into Scottish history, literature and architecture, covering

11 Edinburgh, Southern Poets and Adventurers, Glasgow, the Trossachs, Argyll, Hebrides, Shetland, Aberdeenshire, Perthshire, Dundee, Angus and Fife. (no walks) • France - France; John Edmondson – French literature and works by Proust, Stein, and Fitzgerald inform highlights of the cultural landscape. Includes listings of famous Paris streets and sites, literary graves, literary museums, writers’ houses, etc.; booklist. “A literary guidebook containing over 120 extracts from novels, poems, travel writing, and short stories.” Traveller’s Literary Companion series. (no walks) - The French Riviera: A Literary Guide for Travellers; Ted Jones – Discussion of the inspiration and setting for much of the greatest literature of the 19th and 20th centuries in Hyères, Cannes, Antibes, Nice, Cap Ferrat, Monaco, and Menton. Insights into the lives and works of Graham Greene, W. Somerset Maugham, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Guy de Maupasant, as well as Alcott, Boswell, Brecht, Camus, Casanova, Conrad, Dickens, Fleming, Hemingway, Hugo, Huxley, Joyce, Kipling, Milne, Nabokov, Parker, Plath, Sartre, Shaw, Stevenson, Tchekov, Tolstoi, Wells, Wilde, Woolf, Yeats, etc. (no walks) - The Greater Journey, Americans in Paris; David McCullough – Historical pageant of American authors, statesman, and professionals who discovered Paris in 1830- 1900, and were changed by it. (no walks) - Literary Paris; A Guide; Jessica Powell – Profiles 30 writers (Moliere, Voltaire, de Sade, Balzac, Dumas, Hugo, Verne, Twain, Zola, Wilde, Proust, Stein, Miller, Fitzgerald, Heming- way, Orwell, Simenon, Camus, Baldwin ...) and more than 100 sites (left bank cafes, the Bois de Boulogne, Pont Neuf, the Bastille, Catacombs, the Bourse, Moulin- Rouge, the Louvre ...) and the bars, homes, and hotels they lived in. (no walks) - The Paris of the Novelists; Arthur Maurice (1919) – Learn about the City of Light through the history of Hugo, Thackeray, Dumas,

12 Balzac, Zola, Maupassant, Poe, Stevenson, Twain, and many more. (no walks) - Walks in Hemingway’s Paris; A Guide to Paris for the Literary Traveler; Noel Fitch – Provides “an intimate visit to major Parisian landmarks” as well as to out-of-the-way cafes, hotels, and residences immortalized by “Papa” and his friends, peppered with colorful anecdotes. • Greece - Greece, A Literary Guide for Travellers; Michael Carroll – A literary guidebook drawing heavily from ancient literature – from Achilles to Xerxes; chapters include the Ionian Islands and Epirus, Northern Greece, Athens, Central Greece, the Peloponnese, Crete, and the Agean Islands. Shelley said, “We are all Greeks.” (no walks) • Italy - Florence and Tuscany, A Literary Guide for Travellers; Ted Jones – Explore the Renaissance cities of Florence, La Spezia, Lucca, Pisa, Livorno, Arezzo, San Gimignano, Volterra, and Siena through their connections to the great writers Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio, Chaucer, Milton, Browning, Shelley, Dickens, Lawrence, Hardy, Forster, Twain and more. (no walks) - A Literary Companion to Rome, Including Ten Walking Tours; John Varriano – Useful and erudite insights into the Eternal City. - A Literary Companion to Venice, Including Seven Walking Tours; Ian Littlewood – See the streets, palaces, churches, and canals through the words of Byron, Goethe, James, Proust, Lawrence, and Pound. - Sicily, A Literary Guide for Travellers; Andrew Edwards – Learn about the cultural landscape of the largest island in the Mediterranean aided by the works of Aeschylus, Truman Capote, Cervantes, Cicero, Coleridge, D.H. Lawrence, Pindar, Ezra Pound, Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, Tennessee Williams ... (no walks) • Japan - Japan; Harry Guest – An accessible introduction to Japan’s history and literature; booklist. “A literary guidebook containing over 75 extracts from novels, poems,

13 travel writing and short stories.” Traveller’s Literary Companion series. (no walks) • Morocco - Tangier, A Literary Guide for Travellers; Josh Shoemake – Discover the Kasbah and the ‘International Zone’ – which have attracted spies, outlaws, outcasts and writers for centuries – through the “outlaw originality” of Bowles, Burroughs, Dumas, Harris, Pepys, Twain, Wharton, and many more. “Tangier is more than a destination, it is an escape.” (no walks) • South America - Caribbean; James Ferguson – Learn about the cultural origins of exotic islands through the works of 1980s and 90s authors (Naipaul, Walcott, Gellhorn, Greene ...); booklist. “A literary guidebook containing over 170 extracts from novels, poems, travel writing, and short stories.” Traveller’s Literary Companion series. (no walks) - South & Central America, Including Mexico; Jason Mexico: On a visit to La Casa Wilson – Quotes from novel- Azul in Mexico City, Frida Kahlo’s home/museum, I learned ists, poets, and travel writers that she liked to paint water- (Gabriel Garcia Marquez, melons because they are composed Carlos Fuentes, Malcolm of the same colors as the Mexican Lowry, D.H. Lawrence ...) flag: red, white, and green. inform discussion of the cultural landscape; booklist. “A literary guidebook containing over 250 extracts from novels, poems, and short stories.” Traveller’s Literary Companion series. (no walks) • Southeast Asia - South-east Asia; Alastair Dingwall – Citations from the likes of Mark Twain, Graham Greene, and Ho Chi Minh pepper coverage of SE Asia (including Hong Kong) history and literature; booklist. “A literary guidebook containing over 150 extracts from novels, poems, travel writing, and short stories.” Traveller’s Literary Companion series. (no walks) • Spain - Andalucia, A Literary Guide for Travellers; Andrew Edwards – A literary guidebook with many quotes from Spanish literature. Includes chapters for Seville, Huelva, Cadiz, Malaga, Granada, Cordoba, Jaen, and Almeria. (no walks)

14 Internet search “Literary walk + country”. Also see the “Walking country” subject category in the catalog of your local library.

7. Watch the video! Get the flavor of your destination with an insightful movie.

• Britain - Local Hero, 1983; A Hard Day’s Night, 1964; Henry V, 1989 • China - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, 2000 • Egypt - Cleopatra, 1963; The Mummy, 1932 or 1999 • France - Before Sunset, 2004; Day for Night, 1973; Children of Paradise, 1945 • Germany - The Blue Angel, 1930; The Third Man, 1949 • Greece - Zorba the Greek, 1964; Never on Sunday, 1960 • Italy - Roman Holiday, 1953; A Room with a View, 1985; The Bicycle Thief, 1948; The Icicle Thief, 1989 • Japan - Lost in Translation, 2003; Tokyo Story, 1953 • Mexico - Y Tu Mama Tambien, 2001 • Middle East - Lawrence of Arabia, 1962 • Pakistan - Army of One, 2016 • South America - Motorcycle Diaries, 2004 • Spain - Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, 1990

(Source: Films to Go, 100 Memorable Movies for Travelers & Others; Jay Boyar)

15 8. Visit a movie location. Take a self-guided or bus tour of a shoot location. Experience the beauty and drama of your most heartfelt cinema setting. Internet search: “movie location + name of film + [imdb]” • Cast Away – Monuriki Island, Fiji (also Blue Lagoon – Devil’s Beach, Fiji) • Dr. No (James Bond) – Crab Key, Jamaica (also James Bond Beach on Oraca- bessa Bay, Saint Mary, Ocho Rios) • Game of Thrones – Dubrovnik, Croatia, and Cushendun village in Northern Ireland www.DiscoverNorthernIreland.com/ gameofthrones • Harry Potter – King’s Cross Station, London, Oxford University, and Jacobite Steam Train, Fort William, Scotland • Lord of the Rings – Lake Wakatipu, South Island, New Zealand; also Tongariro National Park on North Island. New Zealand.com/us/home-of-middle-earth • Lost in Translation – the bar at the Park Hyatt Tokyo, Japan • Mamma Mia! – Kastani Beach, island of Skopelos, Greece • Out of Africa – Ngong Hills, Nairobi, Kenya • Rebel Without a Cause – Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles hills (also the starry ‘love dance’ in La La Land) • The Revenant – Fortress Mountain ski resort in Alberta, Canada • Roman Holiday – Trevi Fountain, Rome (also La Dolce Vita and Three Coins in the Fountain) • The Shape of Water – “Dixie Doug's Diner” (The Lakeview Restaurant, 1132 Dundas Street West) Toronto, Ontario, Canada • The Sound of Music – Mirabell Gardens, Salzburg, Austria • The Talented Mr. Ripley – Procida Island, Naples bay, Italy (also Il Postino) • The Third Man – giant Ferris wheel (Riesen- rad), Leopoldstadt district, Vienna, Austria • Topkapi – Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, Turkey

16 9. Phone a pro. Talk to a travel Thailand: A short hop on a agent. Even if you go on to regional airline led to a terrific make your own travel excursion into the back country. arrangements, your first Outside of Bangkok, everything conversation will give you a is cheap. In Chiang Mai, at the chance to ask key questions first travel agent I came across, I booked an adventure into the and get free advice. If you hill country beginning with a need to book multiple flights or jeep ride and a hike into the hotels, self-serve on the web is forest; it included a river trip on a lot of work. If you have a a bamboo raft, a night in a complex itinerary, or can find a jungle hut, and a ride on an travel agent who has been elephant. When we pulled up on the river bank at the end of there before, you can save our trek, boy was I surprised hours of information overload when an indigenous woman and a myriad of decisions by stepped out of the trees and using the knowledge, offered to sell me marijuana. resources, and discounts a professional can provide. They can guide you to places you’d Turkey: Stepping off the ferry never discover, arrange to Marmaris, we found that the art/history guides, room car rental agency had no knowledge of our reservation. upgrades, and after hours/VIP Fortunately, there was a car access. They will point you to available, so off we went. The exclusive deals, train passes, independent path paid off as city passes, and ‘skip the line’ soon as we got into the country- tickets to the Eiffel Tower, the side: We bought a tin of honey- Louvre, the Vatican, the comb from a guy at the side of the road – a treat with bread. Colosseum ... And if disaster strikes, you’ve got somebody you can call 24-hours. The American Society of Travel Borneo: I hired a driver for a day to visit an orangutan Agents offers an agent finder sanctuary deep in the jungle. at http://web.asta.org/imis/Trav I’d heard that they are very elSense. clever and steal cameras. So, I took out my red bandana, which I use to mop my brow or cover my neck from the sun, and used it to hide my camera. But one orangutan was watching me carefully; I think he observed how I handled it – and he figured out it was valuable. He stole my bandana! %

17 “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” – Saint Augustine

PLANNING YOUR TRIP

10. Travel truths: • Book early for the best airfare/hotel/train discounts. You’ll also get better flight times and seat selection, and more spacious rooms with better views. See Momondo.com ‘Flight insights’ for a specific estimate for your flight. Recommended: Book flights in advance: - U.S. + Canada flights - 10 weeks - Mexico, Central America - 10 weeks - South America - 3-4 months - Asia - 4 months (Source: 2018, CheapAir.com) - Europe - 5 months - Africa, Middle East, S. Pacific - 6-7 months - Caribbean - 7 months • Travel light. Proven wisdom: Take half the clothes and twice the money. • Long live the ATM – the traveler’s check is dead. Don’t bother to bring currency with you; get it upon arrival at an airport ATM. • Everything is negotiable. Ask for a hotel discount. Inquire about tour discounts just before the deadline date. If there’s no written menu, yes, bargain meal prices. • Buy supplies outside the tourist corridor – water, snacks, postcards, batteries, film/media ... • Always ask for the total cost by credit card (beware ‘resort fees,’ ‘fuel surcharges,’ ...).

18 11. Pre-trip prep. Get ready to go!

~ Destination research ~ Planning - budget, lodging (neighborhoods and budget), likely activities and day trips ~ Research and book flights ~ Research and book lodging ~ Visa? ~ Doctor visit for vaccinations, anti-diarrheal prescription (antibiotic) ~ Plan meds – Need a vacation over-ride? ~ Travel insurance? ~ Shuttles - to airport(s), to hotel(s) ~ Reading, planning re specific destinations ~ Notifications, preparation, packing ~ Stop mail and newspaper delivery ~ Call credit/debit card issuers ~ Pack ~ Check-in, boarding pass ~ Airport security

12. Avoid the crowd. Enjoy the path less traveled to save time and money, and gain flexibility – and elbow room. Vacation during the shoulder season for easy hotel and flight reservations. Follow your spirit to travel off the beaten path. Travel mid-week. Hit must-see sites late in the day. Tech tip: To avoid cruise ship crowds, do an Internet search for “Crew center + port” (for example, “crew center venice”) for a chronological list of arrival/departure times.

19 13. Travel planning links: Q • Ideas: - TripAdvisor.com

- RickSteves.com

- Fodors.com

- Worldtravelguide.net

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_World_ Heritage_Sites#Lists_by_continent

- https://www.Forbes.com/sites/robertadams/ 2016/03/29/the-worlds-best-travel-websites

- Kiplinger.com/article/spending/T059-C000-S001-23- best-travel-sites-to-save-you-money.html • Rain and temperature: Weather.com

• Do I need a visa? https://travel.state.gov/content/ passports/en/country.html

• Is it safe? - https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/ en/alertswarnings.html

- CIA.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook

• Vaccinations/health: CDC.gov/travel or WHO.int/ith/en

• Airport security: http://www.TSA.gov/travel/security- screening/whatcanibring

• Your travel rights:

- Transportation.gov/airconsumer/fly-rights

• Time change: TimeAndDate.com/worldclock

• Electricity: https://www.power-plugs-sockets.com (Mexico and Canada are the same as the U.S.)

20 14. Brave New Tool. To help with planning at the time-of-day and day-of- week level, do a Google search to lookup a business or tourist site, then page down to see a Popular Times® graph. It’s a time/day chart that will show on the right side when you do a precise Google search. It provides Acropolis - afternoon is best an activity measure that will help you avoid lines or delays and plan your day by revealing how busy a location usually is at Greece: The afternoon we hiked up to the Acropolis, we saw different times and days of the dozens of cats. It was a bit of a week. How crowded is it? mystery until we saw a local Google provides the answer woman setting out fish heads. by tracking GPS and Wi-Fi When she arrived, every cat in signals (sometimes live) to sight sped straight toward her, help you decide When today? meowing loudly. As cat experts know, meowing (and purring) Click to see Which day of the means “Pay attention to me” – week is best? which tells you a lot about cats.

The graph shows “average popularity over the last several weeks ... relative to the typical peak popularity for the business for the week.” (Also available in Google Maps, Google.com/maps – where the pick list can make searching easier.)

A Popular Times® graph will appear in Google search results (at right) when you search for any of these tourist destinations: Louvre Eiffel Tower Stonehenge British Museum Roman Forum Roman Coliseum Leaning Tower of Pisa Pantheon Rome Acropolis Athens Pergamon Museum (Berlin) Blue Mosque (Istanbul) Hermitage Museum (Russia) Great Pyramid of Giza Sphynx of Giza Edo Castle (Tokyo) Chichen Itza Grand Canyon Park Museum of Egyptian Abu Simbel (Egypt) Antiquities (Cairo) To research your own destinations, do a very specific Google search; you may need to add the street or street address (and city) to find a • post office • park • bank • grocery • library • gas station • transit hub • restaurant/business

Note the average stay estimate. For restaurants: See wait times by clicking on an hour’s vertical bar.

21 Google Popular Times® graphs for travelers – crowd density measured by cell phone and GPS activity

Ë Acropolis - Athens, Greece. Ë Chichen Itza - Mexico. Best: Anytime Wednesday. Best: Monday 8 - 9. Good early (8 - 10) or late Grows steadily Mon to Sun. (5 - 8) any weekday. Worst: Sunday mid-day. Worst: Sunday 10 - 5.

Acropolis uncrowded Wednesdays Chichen Itza busy mid-day

Ë Edo Castle - Tokyo, Japan. Ë Eiffel Tower - Paris, France. Best: 3-5 any day. Best: Weekdays 9-11. Worst: Saturday afternoon. Grows steadily Mon to Sat. Closed Monday and Friday. Worst: Saturday 4-7.

Edo Castle best 3 - 5 Sunset draws Sat crowds to Eiffel Twr

Ë Grand Canyon National Park. Ë Great Sphinx - Egypt. Best: Any day before noon. Best: Morning hours. Grows steadily Mon to Sat. Grows steadily Mon to Fri. Heavy weekends. Heavy weekends. Worst: Saturday 1-5 Worst: Mid-day Friday.

Sphinx busiest Friday Canyon worst Saturday afternoon

22 L15. Internet searches for travelers. You fill-in the terms in italics. Bracketed terms and plus signs are optional.

Search syntax You type this • Where to stay in + city ' where to stay in london • Museum + hours ' louvre hours • Airline + flight # ' united airlines 216 • Literary walk + country ' literary walk england • Best view + location ' best view hong kong • Travel/journey + name ' travel ernest hemingway ' journey hannibal • Tourist sites [Top ten] + tourist/historical/archaeological sites + location ' tourist sites kuala lumpur ' top ten tourist sites rome ' historical sites france ' top ten archaeological sites istanbul [Top ten] + historical points of interest + location ' historical points of interest france ' top ten historical points of interest paris [Top ten] + antique/flea market + location ' antique market budapest ' top ten flea market prague ' top ten * market paris [Top ten] + museum/gallery/garden/ruin/fort/wall/moat + location ' museum amsterdam ' top ten museum london ' gallery moscow ' top ten garden paris ' ruin athens ' top ten fort turkey ' wall berlin ' top ten moat wales • Cruise ship schedule ' crew center panama Crew center + port ' crew center venice • Tours ' walking tour dublin ' (bus or guided) tour marrakech ' self guided walking tour florence ' hop on hop off bus berlin ' double decker bus rio • Rides ' (boat or helicopter) ride mexico ' (funicular or gondola) swiss alps ' (cable car or monorail) singapore ' (zip line or parasail or balloon) kenya ' (ferry or water taxi) manila ' (river or white water) raft austria ' felucca nile ' canal boat panama ' airboat everglades ' venice (kayak or gondola) • Food ' bangkok street food ' alsace traditional dish ' peru food specialties ' france (cuisine or seafood) ' japan sushi ' china dim sum • Lessons ' madrid cooking class ' la paz language class • Maps ' tourist map naples ' seville (subway or metro) map • Souvenirs ' netherlands specialties ' rotterdam souvenirs • Famous graves ' famous cemetery italy ' famous grave paris ' alexandre dumas burial • Movie location + name of film + [imdb] ' movie location james bond imdb ' movie location evita • Cognates +language + [wiki] ' cognates french ' cognates german wiki

Power search terms to sharpen your Internet search results:

Term You type this Purpose • distance ' distance rome milan – for kilometers + drive time between locs • hotel ' rome hotel – starts Google Travel hotel map • hours ' vatican hours – for museum or tourist site details • imdb ' cleopatra imdb – for movie details from Int’l Movie Database • map ' map of baja mexico – to see map resources and pictures • menu ' olive garden menu – to get right to the details of a restaurant • restaurant ' red lobster restaurant – to research meal options • tickets ' louvre tickets – to purchase entry in advance • translate ' translate spanish – to find a language translation function • yelp ' paris yelp – to see dining recommendations from Yelp • wiki ' hannibal wiki – to lookup encyclopedia info

Refine web searches with special symbols:

Term You type this Purpose * ' largest * in the world – wildcard - to search for unknown words, use the asterisk as a placeholder in your search text $price ' camera $400 – to search for price, put a dollar sign in front of a number (no space) “exact match” ' “tallest building” – for a precise search, put a word or phrase inside quotation marks OR ' marathon OR race – to combine searches, use OR between search terms -minus ' travel venice -cruise – to exclude words to refine a search, put - (hyphen) in front of word(s) to skip (no following space) site: ' site:TSA.gov visa – to search a specific web site, put site: in front of a domain or site description (no following space) search video ' site:youtube.com lima – to search for YouTube videos 16. Can you drink the water? h Americans risk diarrhea due to bacteria in the Bolivia: After a late night water outside the arrival, after missing a con- continental U.S. (Yes, I necting flight, dehydrated from met Montezuma in the high altitude, my hotel in La Mexico.) Ask at your Paz aggressively overcharged me for a bottle of coke. lodgings if they treat their water and if it’s safe for you to drink. For specific country Bolivia: At a party in a bar in advice, visit the Centers Cochabomba, I was offered for Disease Control: chicha, a potent corn beer. Like CDC.gov/travel; they sake, it’s customary to pour for say “the highest-risk others. But I was advised to destinations are in most refuse – to avoid “traveler’s of Asia (except for stomach” (because it’s made with the local water) – so I’m Japan) as well as the afraid I was rude. Later on a Middle East, Africa, bus, I overheard someone say Mexico, and Central and “After 3 drinks of chicha, South America.” everyone speaks Quechua” Western Europe is (the indigenous dialect). generally safe.

Recommended: Pepto Bismal prevents diarrhea! (Two tablets, four times a day.)

25 “A vacation spot out of season always has a very special magic.” – Max von Sydow

TRAVEL TIMING

17. Fly early to avoid bumping. Airline flights are much more Mexico: Driving out of Cancun vulnerable to delay in the city in the early morning, I was surprised to realize that a afternoon. Morning pile-ups pedestrian in our way was drunk. make everyone wait. (And during summer, afternoon thunderstorms are a major source of delays.) A crosstown taxi to the airport will be much swifter in the very early morning, and you’ll speed through the security check. And if your flight is canceled, you’ll have an easier time rebooking same day. That 7:00 am departure is worth it! (On the other hand, a late night flight may help you sleep on the plane.)

Recommended: Allow at least one hour between connecting flights.

26 18. Travel during a slow period: • Tuesday or Wednesday • November 1 to mid-December • Early January to the end of February • Fall, after school starts • Shoulder season for your destination

19. Don’t travel during: • August - the month that the kids are out of school and Germany, France, and Italy traditionally take off. July is busy, too. • The monsoon rains - June through Sept in Southeast Asia, the Philippines, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and parts of China. (Also a lot of typhoons in Asia May - October.)

Indonesia: In Bali, I forgot that I’d crossed an international date line, so I thought it was a day earlier in the week. I was 6 surprised to receive a fax at my hotel reminding me that I’d be picked up for my departure – in an hour!

20. Flight planning. Airfares keep rising – about 5% last year. To get the best deals, watch for sales mornings and weekends (up to 20% lower), especially Sundays. Also look for low fares early in the week, especially Tuesdays. Calendar your flights and research for the best day of the week:

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Shop for Shop for Shop for Shop for Shop for domestic domestic domestic inter- inter- U.S. U.S. U.S. national national airfare airfare airfare airfare airfare

Bad Good Good Bad Good day day day day day to fly to fly to fly to fly to fly (Source: FareCompare.com)

International flights are usually less expensive if the trip includes a Saturday night stayover. Nonstop is not so expensive anymore, especially for domestic flights.

27 “For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return.” – Leonardo da Vinci Malaysia: While waiting in line at the bus station in Kuala Lumpur, headed to the Cameron Highlands, I made friends with two appealing female travelers. We chatted about the guidebook- FIND YOUR FLIGHT recommended guesthouses and agreed on which one was best. But they sat together and I sat with another woman; after a very pleasant chat over the 21. Fly into hubs, but don’t stay. course of the 3-hour bus trip, Because of high passenger I made other plans with her. volume, major cities offer the cheapest airfares. From the Italy: My EuroPass saved the hub city, you can inexpen- day for me when the ticket agents went on strike! Travel- sively travel on by train/bus/ ing from Florence to Rome, you ferry or book additional flights couldn’t buy a ticket, but the on cheap regional airlines. trains were still running so I Prices are high in hub cities, was able to board. so relocate nearby to save on England: From London, I took food, lodging and everything a day trip by train and bus to else. see Stonehenge. It would have been stunning in the right setting; Arthur Frommer recommends: unfortunately, it is now posi- tioned between two highways. • Oxford instead of London Then I took a local bus to see a • Chartres instead of Paris similar ancient site nearby • Haarlem instead of Amsterdam called Avebury, and was charmed • Prato instead of Florence by the Wiltshire countryside, decorated in green with meander- • Padua instead of Venice ing rivers and grazing sheep. • Avila instead of Madrid. Both sites are very old (3800 BC) stone rings within circular ditches, imbued with history and ancient spirits. In an Avebury tourist shop, amongst books on spirituality P and healing, I happened to notice a book on ‘urine therapy’ – I don’t think I want to know!

28 22. Book your flight. To get a flow of information started, set price alerts as early as possible at Airfarewatchdog.com, or at almost any of the websites below, to learn about sales and seasonal discounts. For a good overview, start at Google.com/flights, Skyscanner.com, or Momondo.com to find the lowest cost days to fly. Cheapoair.com offers a calendar showing prices for each day of the month, a summary of prices by airline, and extensive filtering (after the initial search) by length of flight/layover and # of stops, and sort by shortest/direct flight. Hotwire.com is a discounter that allows easy comparison of budget airlines. Kayak.com is an aggregator that searches many sites at once for a broad canvas of prices (and you can filter length of flight/layover, 0/1/2-stops); hit the ‘Explore’ button to search domestic airfares with flexible dates. Kayak, Orbitz, and Booking.com offer free cancellation within 24 hours. Expedia.com is a booking engine that can be viewed in Spanish and lets you sort flights by price, duration, etc. Orbitz.com is a booking engine that shows a calendar of prices for flexible dates, allowing you to pick the best days of the week. All these sites handle hotel rooms, too, and many list cruises as well. Most sites offer newsletters and/or price alerts. Pick your flight, then check the airline website – it may offer better prices, seats, and flights. Tech Tip – Recommended travel websites: • Google.com/flights - filter and map flights by date/price/duration/airport – ‘Flight insights’ offers a date/price grid, a length of stay graph, and airport map and pricing • Kayak.com/explore - find bargains by map for flexible dates • Momondo.com - Trip Finder, ‘Non-stop only’ button; flexible searching – # stops, duration, time of day; ‘Flight insights’(appears after search) suggests month, day/time to buy/fly. • Skyscanner.com - see a pricing map, or ‘search everywhere’; ‘Non-stop flights only’ button; lots of filters, includes a monthly calendar + chart • Travelocity.com - flight booking engine – with a price guarantee, 24-hour hold

29 I

23. See Southwest. If you’re flying south of the border, make sure you check Southwest.com. They do not release their flight information to the online travel sites. Southwest is the only major airline that charges no fee for checked baggage or ticket changes. (Seats are not reserved; seating is by section.) Every other major airline will try to sell you flight insurance.

24. Seat selection. Shortly after Italy: Flying home from Rome, you book your flight, login to I was not happy to realize that the airline’s website. This will my seat backed up against a confirm that a ticket actually wall – I could not recline! was issued, and provide an opportunity to make your seat selection.

Tech tip: Use SeatGuru.com for seat selection, info on Where to sit? Studies of past baggage fees (for international crashes suggest that sitting near flights, as much as $100 the back is safest – in the rear apiece!), and ‘eCheck-In’. third of the aircraft; over the wing is also good. Aisle seats offer better bathroom access. Turbulence is felt less over the wings or towards the front, regarding airsickness.

30 “Many a trip continues long after movement in time and space have ceased.” – John Steinbeck

LOOK FOR LODGING

25. Hotel strategy. Travel By email, using simple English, agency websites say it pays to I’ve gotten great deals directly book your flight and hotel at from hotels in Mexico City, Rome, the same time; why give two Florence, Vietnam ... Now, I bites at the apple? This means routinely email or call to ask for be prepared with ideas about a ‘promotional’ or ‘cash’ discount. your budget and the hotels or neighborhoods you want to stay in when you book your flight + hotel – a difficult burden. Testing shows this to be a good tactic, but ...

Tech tip: The best deals are offered by the hotels directly (which saves them a commission). Do a Google search for almost any hotel in the civilized world and you’ll get a compact report at the top right of the search results showing the hotel phone # and a button for the Website. Use the Website button to visit the hotel website to find their email address (under 'Contact us'). Use phone or email to inquire and you can save as much as 30% off the best online offers!

Google search results – hotel Website button

31 26. Hotel shopping. When Singapore: I was disappointed evaluating lodging options, to find that the hotel’s breakfast ask about the features most buffet centered around pre- important to you: cooked fried eggs and hot dogs (in warming pans). • Air conditioning? • Breakfast included? Thailand: In Chiang Mai, I (Hot dish/eggs?) paid US $1.20 per night for a bare room – lamp, ceiling fan, • Free wi-fi? Printing? mattress and bedding. The • Tap water safe to drink? manager was a ‘he/she' with • Safe deposit box in room? beautiful long black hair, down to her hips – an exotic • Daily maid service? character in an exotic land. • Airport shuttle/pickup? • TV with remote control? Mexico: As we returned to our English language TV? hotel’s parking lot in Merida, we could see a policeman blocking • DVD, satellite/cable TV? our path due to a street fair. I • Refrigerator in room? told Laura, now was the time to • Microwave/kitchenette? turn on her brightest smile. • Bed size? Room size? • Desk and chair? Malaysia: The persistent heat in Kuala Lumpur made the refrig- • Windows that open? erator/freezer in my hotel room • Hair blow dryer? a real luxury – cold beverages! • 110 volt electrical outlet • Hot water available 24 hours? • Electrical adapter/converter to borrow? • Laundry service? Self service washer/dryer? • Fitness center, hot tub, daily newspaper? • Close to transit and tourist sites?

Ask about the nearest metro stop and how much a taxi from the airport should cost.

Recommended: A restaurant Mexico: I loved the fish tacos in the building. It can be very and vanilla malted milkshakes convenient to eat breakfast served in the restaurant so and then finish your morning conveniently attached to the prep and use the toilet before lobby of my hotel in Mexico City. you set out on your day’s adventures. A hotel restaurant is especially handy when you: • first arrive – hungry! • need a place to wait for the rain to stop • are sick (diarrhea is the traveler’s curse) • need a quick meal prior to departure

32 27. What’s nearby? Search for a Mexico: We rented a car in hotel in Google.com/maps to Cancun and drove to the see the “Nearby” button near fabulous Mayan ruins at nearby the top center, which offers Chichen Itza. Driving back printable lists of restaurants/ after dark, we squished dozens bars/hotels. Hotels.com offers of tarantulas beneath our wheels – they are drawn to the a valuable “What's around” warm asphalt at night. list, showing walk and drive time to landmarks and transit hubs.

28. Blind bargain. If you’re Turkey: Driving a rental car to flexible about your lodging Cappadocia, perhaps we mis- location, and willing to commit understood the traffic cop’s before knowing the name or directions; we ended up in a small address of the hotel, then town off the beaten path. We Priceline.com “Name Your were treated as minor celebrities – every shopkeeper wanted to Own Price” bidding offers chat and serve us apple tea. fabulous bargains. For a little more control, their “Express Deals” also offer good bargains using blind selection. Prep by reading up at BiddingForTravel.com.

Hotwire.com “Hot Rate Hotels” also offer bargains via blind selection; you’ll get only a broad description, such as “3.5-star Hotel in Centro Historico” and a few details such as “75% recommended, free Wi-Fi, airport shuttle, business center” – but you can’t see the address first or contact them by phone.

33 ( 29. Hotel hotline. When shopping hotels online, here’s a great resource. Orbitz/Expedia/Travelocity and Hotels.com offer 24/7 toll free phone numbers to ask questions. They will put you on hold, call the hotel reception desk for you and relay the answers. Sometimes, if you ask politely, they will connect you directly to the reception desk at the hotel. So, if you China: After arriving by bus in Guangzhou (formerly Canton) have questions from Hong Kong, I hurriedly about what’s dumped my luggage in the hotel nearby, the laundry room, emptied my pockets onto facilities, English- the desk, and set off on my language TV, hot Chinese adventure. While I was out exploring, the hotel floor tub hours, etc., matron disregarded the “Do don’t hesitate. Not Disturb” sign I placed on the door and entered my room (to provide a thermos of hot water for tea). Upon my return, she scolded me and told me not to leave cash lying around.

30. Book your hotel. Shop the Internet:

Step #1: Develop a short list of neighborhoods/ hotels by checking guidebooks and consulting the web. Start your search for lodgings with a simple Internet search (“Where to stay in city”) then do some research at TripAdvisor.com and Google.com/Travel.

Step #2: Narrow your list with research on Hotels.com, Momondo.com, Booking.com – see the map – and one of these sites: Orbitz.com/Expedia.com/Travelocity.com/ Hotwire.com (not Hotwire’s “Hot Rate Hotels” – click the “Hotels” button at upper left). Orbitz/Expedia/Travelocity/Hotwire all use the same database, with identical, detailed hotel descriptions (often including room size in square feet), but prices vary.

34 Use the websites above to find hotels within your budget and desired neighborhood, that offer the features you want: How about free breakfast, A/C, free wifi, 3+ stars, and a guest review/rating of 4+? And maybe laundry service, a pool and restaurant? Sort the list by guest rating (or distance from a landmark) and scan top to bottom for prices in your budget.

Once you’ve narrowed to a short list of 2 or 3 hotels, research each in detail (price, location, amenities, and what’s nearby – and read the reviews, which can be quite telling). Do a Google search (hotel name + city) to consult a convenient price comparison chart to identify the low cost sources. Also check pricing on Kayak.com. When you compare pricing, make sure you know if breakfast and taxes are included.

If pricing is close, consider these perks:

• A “price guarantee” is offered by Hotels.com, and Orbitz/Expedia/Hotwire. • “Free cancellation” is offered on many rooms at Orbitz/Expedia/Hotwire, and Kayak. • At Orbitz/Expedia/Hotwire, you’ll earn 10% off select hotels for membership signup and many rooms offer a “pay later” option. • After you book 10 nights, you’ll earn a free night at Hotels.com.

Step #3: Book your lodging at the site that offers the lowest price and best perks. Pay by credit card for best currency exchange rate.

Recommended: You will get a better price (especially for lengthy stays) by studying the Italy: My hotel in Naples gave hotel website, then find their me a bottle of wine and a phone # or email address and package of pasta as a gift to negotiate directly with the thank me for booking directly. hotel: Ask for a ‘promotional’ discount. “I’m looking for a room in the $X range ...”

35 “A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless. We find that after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us.” – John Steinbeck

WHAT TO BRING

31. Leave your wardrobe at home. Take minimal clothes traveling. You’ll likely settle into a routine Thailand: Visiting the hill tribes in the back country near Chiang of wearing similar outfits each Mai, I was slipping and sliding day with desired features: on the muddy trails. I had brought the wrong shoes. • Good pockets for passport, keys, money (with secure closures: zipper/velcro/button) France: For the summer of my • Tops that keep you cool eleventh birthday, I was a French boy. Which meant, of • Pants comfortable for course, that I wore shorts, like sitting hours in a every other French boy. At first, plane/train/canoe! I was very embarrassed about • Roomy pants pockets for my pale white legs. But that was something time took care of in - wallet stride; in no time at all my legs - camera were tanned and shorts were my new normal. France changed - pen + notebook me. As an adult, I love to wear - small water bottle shorts when I can. I guess it reminds me of my youth. Remember, no one is likely to see you more than once!

36 Recommended: Leave your watch at home. Crime risk. (In Sao Paulo, Brazil, thieves steal watches off drivers’ wrists at traffic stops!) Your camera or electronic gadget knows the time; just make sure you reset to local time upon arrival.

Tech tip: TravelSmith.com sells luggage and accessories, as well as lightweight, quick drying clothing (and compression socks for those long-haul flights). Also see SierraTradingPost.com and REI.com/outlet and checkout “Travel Accessories” at Ebags.com and Amazon.com.

32. Travel notebook. Be polite and crime-smart – minimize use of electronic gadgets in public. Carry a pocket-sized notebook to record notes on paper in a central place – your hotel’s wi-fi password, breakfast hours, train/bus/ferry departure times, walking instructions to bank, laundry, tourist sites ... Use a lined 3x5" spiral bound notebook – secure a pen in the wire spiral with a rubber band.

Recommended: Keep a travel diary. Take notes (and France: As a boy on my first pictures) of car trips, vacations, travel adventure, I was foreign travel – weather, new encouraged to make daily friends, adventures, destina- entries in a travel journal. I didn’t know what to write. My tions, local foods, souvenirs ... most common diary entry was: Make daily entries in a journal “See last Tuesday.” – a paper notebook or electronic diary/scrapbook. Add postcards, tickets, receipts, drawings, maps (highlight your route). Someday you’ll want to remember.

37 33. Hedge your bets. Anticipate likely risks. Photocopy the contents of your wallet. Take pictures with your cell phone or camera to carry images of your passport, visa, drivers license, tickets, credit/debit cards, hotel confirmation, itinerary, etc.; take pictures before you drive away in a rental car of the windshield, doors, bumpers – and of the gas gauge upon drop-off. Always carry ID on your person when on foreign soil; lock your passport in your hotel safe and carry an image of it in your wallet or camera. Travel with passport photos, and with a variety of U.S. dollar bills – handy for tips, emergencies, and that unexpected exit tax.

Tech tip: Scan your passport (and key documents) and email to yourself. $ 34. A) Critical gear. Don’t forget to pack:

~ Sun screen ~ Sun/rain hat ~ Phrase book or translation app ~ Spare batteries ~ Notebook and pens ~ Aspirin or Ibuprofen for pain, blisters ... ~ A pocket knife or wine tool to cut/spread food, open packages, and cut thread or string. Pack it in your checked luggage; upon Thailand: I bought a pocket arrival transfer to your knife on the streets of Bangkok. pocket or day pack. It hurt when I had to give it up Recommended: Swiss at airport security when I flew Army knife, but you may on to Chiang Mai. have to give it up at regional airport security. ~ Travel alarm clock or app to wake you up for your 4:00 am taxi to the airport. ~ Scarf - for an eye mask, sun protection, tourniquet, to cover up entering a church, or to make your checked bag distinct. You can purchase many of these items at your destination, but it’s much more convenient to take them.

38 B) Gear up. Don’t forget these small items (easy to pack) which can really pay off:

• Inflatable ‘O-ring’ seat Hong Kong: After a 20-hour cushion/neck pillow flight, my butt was sore! After • Small flashlight that, I made it a priority to buy an inflatable seat cushion. • Electrical adapter/converter for your camera/gadget

• Small compass to quickly Italy: Take a compass to orient maps quickly orient your map. It’s • Plastic utensils (spoon, especially useful in Italy, where street names change almost every fork, serrated knife to block and narrow streets make make sandwiches or cut it difficult to see landmarks. fruit/meat/cheese) In Naples, I got lost a lot! • Wool cap (for cold weather) • Liquid laundry detergent – pack in your leakables bag • Deck of playing cards for quick, portable entertainment

' Mexico: At the famous Mayan C) Handy tools. Sometimes when ruins of Chichen Itza, I saw a traveling, you need an ordinary bus driver use a liter of Coke to item that proves difficult to find. clean his windshield. The bubbles Because they are cheap, and acidity help cut the mud. disposable, and easy to pack, you might want to carry these: Greece: On a 23-hour train ride from Istanbul to Thessaloniki, • Paper clips there was no heat and it got very cold that night. I was able • Safety pins to use some tape to put up a tarp • Rubber bands over the window to create some insulation – that helped a lot. • Sewing kit • Wire twist ties (substitute for luggage locks and use to close plastic bags) • Dental floss (make a chin strap for your hat or a laundry line to hang your wash) • Clothes pins (to help fully close drapes)

39 D) Frequent traveler tools: China: In Chengdu, two health problems afflicted our group. • Instant coffee – if you’re a One traveler required a trip to caffeine addict and will the hospital due to a conspiracy travel in Asia or the U.K. of spicy food, traveler’s stress, and foreign germs. Another • Ear plugs and eye mask to was briefly laid low by caffeine help you sleep. addiction, requiring a trip to Starbucks. (Coffee is rare in a • Binoculars or opera glasses world that loves tea.) – to appreciate the view, the ceiling of the Sistine Europe: If you'll be doing a lot Chapel, or read that list of of museums and galleries, invest train departure gates. in art history books. I was sur- • Extendible tube to bring prised at how rare explanatory text was, much less in English. home rolled up posters, (And take your opera glasses to maps, or canvas paintings, appreciate those ceilings.) or small souvenirs.

• Folding travel scissors to trim facial hair &

35. Carry toiletry items. Carry Greece: When I entered a an abbreviated toilet kit in your public bathroom on the isle of daypack. When traveling in Crete, a man gave me paper towels. I assumed he was the less developed countries or attendant and thanked him. I outside of cities, you may was surprised when he came experience a bathroom close to kiss me on the cheek. emergency and not find the When he put his hand between usual amenities. To be safe, my legs, I realized this was not carry a few small items for a some charming local custom. I hastily backed into a stall, potentially high payoff: locked it, did my business, and • Partial roll of toilet paper left as quickly as I could. I had (or packet of Kleenex) met a predator and a cretin. • Small bar of soap (for handwashing or emergency laundry) Turkey: I’m embarrassed at • Hand disinfectant (Purell) what a mess I left the first time I used a pit toilet. I was confused • Water about how it worked – it’s just a • Wet wipes hole in the ground. I didn’t realize the bucket of water was for cleanup and flushing.

40 36. Bring mementos of home. To Turkey: Gazing at the city bond with locals – a challenge lights from atop our tiny hotel for any tourist – take along in Bodrum, we had a lot of items for show and tell: laughs trying to chat with the young hotel manager. He, like • photos of home, family, every third guy we met in kids and pets Turkey, was named Mustafa. • your business cards (handy when asking ‘Email that picture/recipe to me!’)

& 37. Bring a book. Sometimes downtime is forced on you, and that’s when reading material is useful. A book is easy to start/stop and is not a disaster if lost or stolen, but a smart phone or electronic gadget is a theft magnet and tends to cut you off from the random social moments that can make travel so rewarding. Whether electronic or on paper, keep reading material handy.

Recommended: Why buy the book? Valuable free curated Singapore: Checking into my resources are just clicks away; hotel, I bumped into the author of the travel guidebook I was use your public library’s carrying. He was harried and website to search for travel in a rush. He did not seem to guides and phrase books; be enjoying his travels. renew just before you go. Check out a Rick Steves or Lonely Planet guidebook, a travelogue, or some fiction related to your destination. Ebooks are instantly accessible. Movies about your destination can also be a treat. Search newspaper and magazine databases to research recipes, movies, your destination country, and specific sites. All free.

41 J

38. Books of insight. Expand your cultural and historical experience by reading fiction or travelogue about your destination:

• Africa - Out of Africa, Dinesen (memoir); Green Hills of Africa, Hemingway (memoir); Heart of Darkness, Conrad (novel); Cry, The Beloved Country, Paton (novel); The Lost History of Stars, Boling (novel set during the Boer War); Love, Africa: A Memoir of Romance, War, and Survival, Gettleman (novel); In Morocco, Wharton (travelogue); Things Fall Apart, Achebe (novel); A Season in Hell, Rimbaud (1873, poetry); Travels in the Interior of Africa, Park (travelogue); The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, Smith (novel)

• Britain - Great Expectations, Dickens; Pride and Prejudice, Austen; Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Carroll (fairy tale); Far from the Madding Crowd, Hardy (novel); The Cuckoo's Calling, Galbraith/Rowling (crime novel); Three Men in a Boat, Jerome (travelogue comedy); Hidden Histories: A Spotter's Guide to the British Landscape, Ochota; Notes from a Small Island, Bryson (humorous travelogue); London Perceived, Pritchett (travelogue)

• China - Kowloon Tong, Theroux (novel); The Good Earth, Buck; The Man Who Loved China, Winchester (tech history); The Pleasures and Treasures of Hong Kong, Krannich (shopping guide)

• Cuba - The Old Man and the Sea, Hemingway (novella); To Have and Have Not, Hemingway; Our Man in Havana, Greene (spy travelogue); Trading with the Enemy, Miller (travelogue)

42 • Egypt - Death on the Nile, Agatha Christie (mystery); Crocodile on the Sandbank, Peters (novel); The Alchemist, Coelho (novel); An Egyptian Journal, Golding (travelogue); Palace Walk (Cairo Trilogy), Mahfouz

• France - A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens; A Moveable Feast, Hemingway (memoir); The Sun Also Rises, Hemingway (novel); Tropic of Cancer, Miller (memoir); Red Gold, Furst (historical spy drama); Seven Ages of Paris, Horne (history); Paris Was Ours, Rowlands; A Year in Provence, Mayle (memoir); Giovanni’s Room, Baldwin (novel); The Age of Innocence, Wharton (historical fiction); Quicksands, Bedford (memoir); Murder in the Marais, Cara Black (Aimée Leduc, Parisian detective series)

• Germany - All Quiet on the Western Front, Remarque; Fatherland, Harris (historical fiction); A German Requiem, Kerr (Berlin Noir collection); The Teleportation Accident, Beauman (historical fantasy); The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick (alternative history); Goodbye to Berlin, Isherwood (movie title: Caberet); Children's and Household Tales (the Grimm brothers' fairy tales)

• Greece - Letters From Crete, Finlay; Last of the Wine, Renault (historical novels)

• India - Plain Tales From the Hills, Kipling; The Siege of Krishnapur, Farrell; The Great Railway Bazaar, Theroux (travelogue); Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found, Mehta (travelogue) &

• Italy - A Room with a View, Forster; A Farewell to Arms, Hemingway (novel); The Prince, Machiavelli; A Roman Journal, Stendahl; Italian Hours, James (travelogue); Italian Journey 1786–88, Goethe; I, Claudius, Graves; Pompeii, Harris (novel); Death in Venice, Mann (novella); The Shape of Water, Camilleri (detective); Enchanted April, Arnim; The World of Venice, Morris (travelogue); Naples ‘44, Lewis (novel); The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone, Tennessee Williams (novel); My Brilliant Friend, Ferrante (Neapolitan Novels); Death at La Fenice, Donna Leon (detective); The World of Venice, Morris; The Leopard, Lampedusa

• Japan - Shogun, Clavell; The Chrysanthemum and the Sword, Benedict

• Mediterranean - The Pillars of Hercules, Theroux (travelogue); Edith Wharton Abroad: Selected Travel Writings, Wharton (travelogue)

• Mexico - Mexico City Blues, Kerouac; The Savage Detectives, Bolano (novel); Queer, Borroughs (autobiographical novel); The Old Gringo, Fuentes (novel); Under the Volcano, Lowry (novel); Deserted Cities of the Heart, Shiner (science fiction); Breaking the Maya Code, Coe (nonfiction)

• Middle East - The Innocents Abroad, Mark Twain (travelogue); Arabian Sands, Thesiger (travelogue); The Road to Oxiana, Byron (travelogue); The Great Railway Bazaar, Theroux (travelogue)

• Peru - Lost City of the Incas, Hiram Bingham (discoverer of Machu Picchu, travelogue); Turn Right at Machu Picchu, Adams (travelogue)

44 • Russia - Doctor Zhivago, Pasternak; One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Solzhenitsyn (novel); Crime and Punishment, Dostoyevsky (novel); Dersu the Trapper, Arseniev (travelogue); Among the Russians, Thubron (travelogue); Eugene Onegin, Pushkin (novel in verse)

• South America - Voyage of the Beagle, Charles Darwin; The Log from the Sea of Cortez, John Steinbeck; The Teachings of Don Juan, Carlos Castaneda; The Motor- cycle Diaries, Che Guevara; Inca-Kola, Parris; The Lost City of Z, Grann (travelogue); Walking the Amazon: 860 Days. One Step at a Time, Stafford (travelogue); The House of the Spirits, Allende; In Patagonia, Chatwin (travelogue); Wild Coast, Gimlette (travelogue); The Naturalist on the River Amazons (travelogue), Bates

• Spain - Don Quixote, Cervantes; For Whom the Bell Tolls, Hemingway (novel); Homage to Catalonia, George Orwell (autobiographical travelogue)

• Thailand - One Night in Bangkok, Stanley (novel); The Beach, Garland (novel); The Treasures and Pleasures of Thailand, Krannich (shopping guide)

• Turkey - An Ottoman Traveller, Dankoff (travelogue ~1650); Istanbul Passage, Kanon (historical spy drama); The Light of Day, Eric Ambler (spy drama, movie title: Topkapi); My Name is Red, Pamuk; Istanbul, Memories and the City, Pamuk

• Vietnam - The Lover, Duras (novel); The Quiet American, Graham Greene (novel); The Sympathizer, Nguyen (Pulitzer prize- winning spy novel); Catfish and Mandala, Pham (travelogue); The Treasures and Pleasures of Vietnam and Cambodia, Krannich (shopping guide)

45 “Life is a travelling to the edge of knowledge, then a leap taken.” – D. H. Lawrence

LEARN SOME LINGO

China: Riding up the elevator 39. Instant translation. in my hotel in Beijing, a staff member turned to me and said Automated, 24-hour “Please wait a moment” then translation is only a click away. exited. I waited ... but he never Do a Google search for reappeared. I think he had just “English to language translation” mixed up some phrases he had for a quick, easy, free learned and probably meant to translation function. say “Have a nice day.”

Click the speaker icon X to play the translation! Mexico: In a bar in the hills above Puerto Vallarta, I asked Tech Tip: On your mobile a local dark-haired beauty, device, install Google Translate “Would you like to kiss?” Her response needed no translation. (https://translate.google.com) and download a language to use offline – even without a wi-fi or network connection. Switzerland: At Basel’s Prepare sentences in advance, cavernous train station, I then pick from a list to play detrained amidst booming announcements of departure them as needed: “Excuse me, times and track numbers. where is the bathroom?” and Though we never did find “Only peeled or cooked fondue, I had a fun visit with my vegetables.” Mobile translation college buddy, Steve. In the has arrived, a game changer morning, when I awoke I told for the casual tourist! him about strange sounds in my dreams. “Fear, phumpf” still Recommended: Take a snap- echoed in my head. He told me shot of a sign or menu and those words meant ‘four’ and 'camera translation' will ‘five’ in German! (vier, fünf) instantly read it for you! What an interesting insight into the unconscious mind.

46 Italy: I love eggs (uova); I wanted to try eel in Italy 40. Vocabulary. Take a list of (anguilla), and sfogliatella vocabulary words important to is a classic Italian pastry. you. Make a list of language terms you might need – Thailand: Traveling with Ela, perhaps your favorite fruit or an English woman I met flying in to Bangkok, I learned some foods, ‘110 volts’ or ‘one way British-English vocabulary: trip’ or ‘laundry’ (lavanderia in - muzzy = mosquito Spanish/Italian). Go armed with - elastic = rubber band these 6 standard phrases: - chocy = chocolate milk Yes, No, Please, Thank you, - plasters = bandages - pudding = dessert Hello, Goodbye. And add: - bum = butt I don’t understand, Excuse - fanny = vagina (say “bum bag”, me, Where is the bathroom?, not “fanny pack”!) and What is the price? Learn a few basics online at China: At a wedding dinner in www.TravLang.com Sichuan, I was taught to say ‘Thank you’ in Mandarin: “shay-shay.” I asked if it is a plural, because I’d learned that pluralization in Malay is done by repeating the word. (Travel v is so broadening.) For example, orang means ‘person’; orang orang means ‘people’. I learned that orang hutan means ‘person from the forest’, hence our word 41. Cognates are cool. An easy orangutan for the primate, way to quickly absorb useful the “Wild man of Borneo.” vocabulary, is to focus on words you already know. Cognates have the same meaning and spelling in English and other languages. These words mean the same in English/Spanish/Italian/French (pronunciation varies): Auto, bar, café, chocolate, cyber, disco, DVD, festival, hotel, Internet, melon, menu, panorama, radio, Skype, taxi, television, and wi-fi, Search the Internet for “cognates + language + [wiki]” to find resources like: • French: https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/scmsAdmin/ media/users/xr1/glossaries/ELA/Glossary CognatesFrenchUpdated5-5-2014.pdf • German: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix: List_of_German_cognates_with_English • Italian: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ English_words_of_Italian_origin • Spanish: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ English_words_of_Spanish_origin

47 Cognates for travelers English Spanish Italian French Assistance Asistencia Assistenza Assistance Authorization Autorización Autorizzazione Autorisation Bus Autobus Autobus Autobus Edifice Edificio Edificio Édifice Entrance Entrada Entrance Entrée Group Grupo Gruppo Groupe Hour Hora Ora Heure Included Incluido Incluso Inclus Insect Insecto Insetto Insecte Metro Metro Metro Métro Minute Minuto Minuto Minute Museum Museo Museo Musée Necessary Necesario Necessario Nécessaire Nights Noches Notti Nuits Number Número Numero Nombre One moment Uno momento Una moment Un moment Pardon Perdón Pardon Pardon Passport Pasaporte Passaporto Passeport Person Persona Persona Personne Possible Posible Possibile Possible Problem Problema Problema Problème Recommend Recomendar Raccomandare Recommander Repeat Repetir Ripetere Répéter Solo Solo Assolo Solo Reserve Reserve Reserve Réserve Train Treno Treno Train Transport Transporte Transporto Transport Vacation Vacaciones Vacanza Vacances Zone Zona Zona Zone Nightlife: Alcohol Alcohol Alcool Alcool Aspirin Aspirina Aspirina Aspirine Ibuprofen Ibuprofeno Ibuprofene Ibuprofène Cinema Cine Cinema Cinéma Restaurant Restaurant Ristorante Restaurant Food: Coffee Café Caffè Café Cream Crema Crema Crème Hamburger Hamberguesa Hamburger Hamburger Lemon Limón Limone Citron Mango Mango Mango Mangue Mayonnaise Mayonesa Maionese Mayonnaise Pasta Pastas Pasta Pâtes Salad Ensalada Insalata Salade Salt Sal Sale Sel Soup Sopa Minestra Soupe Tomato Tomate Pomodoro Tomate Wine Vino Vino Vin Tech: Cable Cable Cavo Câble Camera Cámara Telecamera Caméra Disk Disco Disco Disque Electronic Electrónico Elettronico Électronique Error Error Errore Erreur Information Información Informazione Information Message Mensaje Messaggio Message Microphone Micrófono Micrófono Microphone Online En línea In linea En ligne Page Página Pagina Page Photo Foto Foto Photo System Sistema Sistema Système Telephone Teléfono Telefono Téléphone Website Sitio web Sito web Site Internet “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines! Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain $ € ¥ £

MONEY

42. “Charge It” – after your Mexico: A travel agency in closing date. Using a credit Mexico City tried to charge me card earns points and allows a 5% fee to use my credit card you to dispute the charge if to pay for a tour of Teotihuacan. something goes wrong, so use I told them that I objected, and one especially for your big they relented. expenses (flights and lodgings). Delay large purchases until the day after your billing period ends – for maximum float.

Tech tip: For greatest security, provide your credit card number by phone (landline), encrypted email, or fax. Otherwise, split your card number between two emails; after you send Email #1, wait a minute, then send #2: - Email #1 of 2: 1234-5678-xxxx-xxxx - Email #2 of 2: xxxx-xxxx-9012-3456 Exp 12/34

Recommended: Ask in Peru: In Cuzco, I bought a plane advance for the total cost ticket to Lima from a travel by credit card. agent in a small shop near my hotel. Later, when I saw the credit card bill, I learned that he charged me a 50% commission.

49 43. Stash your cash. Spread your risk (of loss/theft/ mugging) by taking money with you in different forms – and don’t keep it all in one place. Recommended: • a credit card in your wallet Peru: At Lake Titicaca, I lost a credit card paying at a restaurant. and another hidden in I’d used it to book my train to your carry-on bag (upon Cuzco, and knew the instruc- arrival, store in hotel safe). tions were to present that card • ATM card in a secure pocket. upon boarding. I raced to get to the ticket office early but had, • $500 or more in $20 bills or I’m glad to say, no problema. the new $100 bills – univers- ally accepted (the old $100 bills were widely counterfeited) – hide in your checked bag, then in the hotel safe.

44. Decoy wallet. While in-country, carry an expendable wallet containing: • cash for the day - small bills

• credit card with the lowest Italy: In Naples, a waiter foreign transaction fee stalled giving me change in • ATM/debit card order to manipulate a larger tip! • copy of your passport • Photo ID (drivers’ license) • hotel card Indonesia: In Bali, I visited a shopping mall complete with Carry emergency money in a movie theater. I had an hour to different bag or pocket – a wait before the movie started, backup credit card and a few so I took a power tour of the large bills (enough to fund an shops – devoid of shoppers – emergency taxi ride or snatch and decided to play American up that antique discovery). for the evening and dine at the nearby Planet Hollywood. I had a burger, it was good. I was the only customer (it was 5 45. Tipping. Ask your desk clerk pm on a Wednesday night). But or a friendly local about tipping of all things, I noticed that a in restaurants and taxis – do 5.5% “service charge” was added to my bill. It felt not ask the waiter! Tip in local excessively capitalistic to make currency. Watch for a service tipping mandatory in a country charge on the bill. Tipping is where the practice is rare. (It is not customary in Austria, Bel- not traditional to tip in Asia.) gium, Brazil, China, Denmark, Estonia, Italy, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, or Switzerland. Shuttle gossip: Paying for a Tip early to make it work for restaurant meal and figuring you. (If you plan to tip the hotel the tip, it was discovered that maid, begin the first night and the date had been written at the parcel it out – a lump sum at top of the bill and included in the end gets you nothing.) For the addition! The waiter more, visit etiquettescholar.com. claimed it was a mistake.

50 46. Contact your bank. Make these 6 banking arrangements to avoid surprises: 1) Alert your credit/debit card issuers of your travel dates and destinations – a menu item by phone; do this any time you leave your state of residence. 2) Set the phone # or email address where you can receive fraud alerts while traveling. Tech tip: Setup a temporary Gmail.com account for email while traveling (so you don’t have to expose your regular account in a vulnerable setting), or provide the phone #s of your lodgings. 3) Check the foreign transaction fee (currency conversion fee) charged for your credit/debit cards, commonly 3% or 1% or 0! Save money by using the card with the lowest fee. 4) Ask to find out your approximate ATM maximum cash withdrawal in the local currency. To calculate this, you’ll need to know your dollar limit for a foreign withdrawal, and the likely exchange rate. If you exceed this, a fraud alert may shut you down. 5) Get an address near each of your lodgings where you can use your ATM card. Tech tip: Search for ‘ATM’ in Google Maps to see locations of nearby cash machines.

6) Request a duplicate credit card (to carry as a backup). (HSBC, CitiBank, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America will not issue duplicate credit or debit cards; Fidelity Investments will duplicate their credit card.) Make sure your PIN is 4 digits – to assure widest access outside the U.S.

51 47. ATM machines. The cash Italy: BofA cut me off after a machine is a global $534 ATM withdrawal succeeded phenomenon and mighty at Rome’s airport – I wandered convenient to the traveler Naples for days trying to find – a reliable way to get local cash. (I didn’t see the email currency with the lowest alerts until I returned home.) exchange rate.

Travel warning: Outside the U.S., ATM limits (set by the ATM network) may be smaller than you’re used to. A “large” withdrawal overseas may trigger a fraud alert and shut down your card; you’ll be notified by email or phone according to your account settings, so when you call your bank in advance to tell them you’re traveling, change this to a phone alert (and provide dates and phone #s of your lodgings), or make sure you check your email after your first ATM transaction in-country – any time you leave your state. Also, an ATM machine can sometimes be difficult to find or may not work with your card (wrong network). So, bring alternatives, like cash and multiple credit cards.

Recommended: Take a written list of PINs and passwords – hide carefully. Being outside your usual environment can make it difficult to remember your PIN when you need it (such as for a credit card cash advance). Add to the list a phone number to report a stolen card.

52 “Traveling may be one of two things – an experience we shall always remember, or an experience which, alas, we shall never forget.” – Rabbi Julius Gordon

MEDICAL MATTERS

48. Mind your meds. Be Bolivia: At customs in La Paz prepared in case you lose airport, suffering from the high your medications. Split key altitude, standing in line for a supplies between your visa application delayed by a checked baggage and carry- computer crash, I misplaced a on. Pack prescriptions or a bag holding all my meds. list of dosages for replacement – in case your bag is lost or delayed – carry this separately from your medications (or store it on-line). Fortunately, in most countries, prescriptions are not required and medications are cheap and easy to replace.

[

53 49. Med kit. Especially for travel Italy: Ibuprofen helped when where you don’t speak the I injured my shoulder hefting language (where it may be a heavy bag in Rome. more difficult to quickly find a medical solution), consider traveling with contingency Bolivia: Despite the altitude medications – for diarrhea and sickness meds I came prepared motion sickness, as well as with, for most of the trip I felt mosquito repellent, anti- tingling in my hands, dehydra- bacterial wipes, hand sanitizer, tion, and shortness of breath. painkiller, hydrocortisone anti- itch cream, antiseptic ointment, antihistamine, aloe for sunburns ...

Recommended: Just in case, carry a laxative or stool softener – travel can be stressful, A/C dehydrating, food salty, the weather hot, pushing you into trouble.

50. Blisters = bad. When Italy: I was very glad I had my traveling, your feet may limit med kit to treat the blisters I you, so protect them. If you earned from hours of walking the are tromping the stone roads stone streets of Pompeii. of Pompeii, hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, or burning a trail shopping the Vegas Strip, you don’t want foot pain to limit your explorations. So, bring a painkiller for blisters, hangover, muscle pain ... Treatment: Treat your feet to a hot footbath – a bidet is great for this. You want to keep your feet clean and heat will accelerate healing. Prevention: Make sure the shoes you’ll walk in are well broken in. Pre-bandage (or moleskin) the likely wear points. Wear thick socks, or consider the two- sock system (inner liner of thin cotton, wool outer). Consider shock absorbing gel insoles, or spray-on/roll-on products to prevent chafing, like body glide Foot - Anti Blister Balm. Internet search for “blister prevention” and “blister treatment” for a variety of products.

Recommended: Schedule your most punishing trek late in your trip.

54 51. Travel-size! CVS Pharmacy offers the largest selection of travel-size items: toothpaste, soap, mouthwash, deodorant, shampoo, hair gel, toothbrush kits, skin lotions, body powder, aloe, painkiller, laundry detergent, luggage tags, etc. Also check Lucky, Target, Walgreens, or Safeway. Frequent travelers can save by buying small empty containers and filling them with product.

Recommended: Dramamine, hand sanitizer, first aid kit.

52. Bed bugs. To avoid the critters – ! a worldwide hotel scourge – keep your clothes, shoes, and luggage off the floor. You are less likely to bring home bed bugs if you take home clean clothes; studies show the bugs prefer smelly clothes.

Recommended: Do some laundry before you head home: use a laundry service; if you do it yourself, make sure to use a dryer – it’s the heat that kills those devils!

55 “He who would travel happily must travel light.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

PACKING

53. Check the weather. You can Germany: It was a stormy night save space packing your bag riding the train to Switzerland. if you don’t have to bring extra Eight times in 5 minutes, I saw clothes for cold weather or lightening, fanned out over a rain. It’s worth it to do the vast plain. I had the sudden research; Internet search insight that the ocean is the “Rome temp” or “Singapore reason California gets very little lightening. rain” for a good indicator. If it will be hot, skip the jacket; you can buy an umbrella if it rains.

54. Plan laundry. You can pack Thailand: The white cowboy less clothing if you do a hat I bought at a Bangkok laundry. Take laundry monastery had become dirty and detergent on longer trips, or a misshapen. I submitted it to the plastic bag to bring it home laundry at my hotel and they dirty. In a pinch, do some did an excellent job cleaning and reshaping it. laundry in the bathroom sink (use bar soap or shampoo) – underwear and socks can be critical and they’re blessedly small. Liquid detergent is much easier to use manually than powder, and can be had in travel-size containers for easy packing – in your leakables bag. Your best option may be laundry service at your hotel, or ask for a nearby recommendation – but it can be a hassle finding a laundry (and returning to pickup) – keep your eyes open.

56 Peru: At Lake Titicaca, the Recommended: Contact hotel must have boiled my your lodging and ask if there laundry; the elastic bands of my are self-serve laundry underwear no longer stretched. machines. For the rest of the trip, my underwear kept falling down. Travel often takes one to extremes.

55. Plastic bag toilet kit. Carry your toiletries in a sturdy one quart transparent re-sealable plastic bag. It’s less bulky than a traditional toilet kit, and makes it much easier to find that elusive nail clipper without having to empty out the whole thing. It also will contain the damage from leaked liquids. If you pack all your carry-on liquids and metal items in a transparent plastic bag, it’s easy to remove for security screening.

Recommended: Transfer USA: I had quite an adventure your pants pocket contents with my house keys forgotten at into your jacket pockets, then the bottom of my pants pocket dump the whole jacket into a at the security check-point in tray to be scanned. San Francisco airport.

56. Bring bags. Plastic bags Greece: When it started take up little space in your raining on our backpacks – luggage, weigh nothing, and lined up on the dock to board can be very useful: the ferry for Crete – we were • Garbage bag to cover your very glad to have brought pack/suitcase in the rain. emergency garbage bags. • Sandwich bags if you plan to pack a lunch from your hotel buffet. • To carry a wet swimsuit, dirty laundry ... • A last-minute flight carry-on for food or fragile souvenirs. • ‘Leakables’ bag to contain liquids in your luggage – a one quart transparent re- sealable plastic bag for lotions, shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, liquid laundry detergent, mouthwash, contact lens solution, etc. – up to 3.4 ounce containers. I’ve seen the mess that can happen!

Thailand: At a turn in the river in the northern hill country, the bamboo raft crashed and everyone’s luggage spilled into the water. I wished I’d used a plastic bag as an inner liner.

57 57. Tag your bag. To make it easier to spot your luggage on the baggage claim carousel (bleary-eyed after a long flight), add a bright ribbon, tape, scarf, decal, etc. How about a ‘Fragile’ sticker? There are a lot of black suitcases in the world. And tape a business card to your laptop cover. The tag on the outside of your bag should omit or obscure your home address. ^

58. Beware lost luggage. After you’ve packed, place a copy of your itinerary on the top inside your luggage (and daypack/carry-on) including – “If lost, please forward this luggage to: ...” – which lists forwarding locations and how you can be contacted; list phone, email, and delivery address of your lodgings, with dates. Include “Please email ...” or “Please call ...” Also list a home address, but don’t list the address of your home if it’s unattended and vulnerable to burglary while you’re away (news travels fast, even internationally).

Recommended: Take a picture of your luggage so you can describe it precisely on a lost bag form. At the airport, get local and central phone numbers for lost bags; see if there’s an app.

59. Sit on it. To compress your (clean or dirty) laundry for packing, stuff it in a plastic bag, hold the opening loosely in your hand, sit on the bag to squeeze out all the air, twist closed. For large or fragile items, inhale or use a vacuum cleaner hose.

58 “Your sacred space is where you can find yourself again and again.” – Joseph Campbell

JUST BEFORE YOU GO

60. Synch to local time. To Jet lag SOP: New personnel minimize jet lag, as early in posted to an American embassy your trip as possible (ideally arrive on a Thursday, use Friday 2-4 days before you depart), for introductions and orient- incrementally shift meal and ation, recover from jet lag over bed times to synchronize your the weekend, and are presumed ready for business on Monday. body rhythms with the time at your destination. A rule of thumb suggests, for each hour of time shift, it takes a day to recover.

Recommended: Sleep on the plane – bring earplugs and eye mask. An overnight flight may make it easier to sleep. Drink plenty of fluids (but no alcohol). Synch your bedtime ASAP; consider melatonin or sleeping pills to help shift your sleep rhythm. Eat soon after waking. To stay awake, drink coffee, eat, expose your face to bright light, exercise, and shower.

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61. Departure checklist. A week or two before your departure: ~ Confirm your flights and lodging. Print your boarding pass as early as possible to reduce risk of bumping. ~ Make a shuttle reservation or ask a friend for a ride to the airport. ~ Alert your credit/debit card issuers of your travel plans. ~ Fill out a ‘vacation hold’ at the post office to collect your mail – don’t specify a redelivery date. ~ Call your pharmacist for a ‘vacation over- ride’ of your prescription meds – early renewal so you don’t run out while away. ~ Schedule or prepay bills due while away. ~ Inform your carrier to stop newspaper delivery, or ... ~ Ask a friend or neighbor to check your doorstep for newspapers, notices, packages, advertising circulars, etc. ~ Do you need a friend or neighbor to put your garbage cans or recycle bins out on collection day? ~ Return/renew your library books, videos. ~ If you regularly record TV programs, trim your schedule. ~ Remove anything showing your address from your car if it will be parked at the airport, on the street, or in a parking lot/ garage – insurance, registration, meds ... ~ Assemble your travel papers (itinerary and flight, shuttle, and hotel reservations); make a copy to carry in your carry-on. ~ The night before you go, empty your wallet of cards you won’t need: Social Security, public library, local membership/credit cards ... Bring your business cards. ~ Just before you leave, unplug or power off the gadgets you leave at home (TV, cell phone, computer, elec. toothbrush, etc.). ~ Set a timer in each room, to enliven a lamp or TV on a daily schedule.

60 62. Hand carry key items. Italy: Flying home from Rome, During transit, to avoid the I packed my house keys in my problem of lost or delayed checked bag – and Lufthansa baggage, carry critical items in delayed my bag overnight! your carry-on or on your person (I forgave them when they in a secure pocket. Do not compensated me $176!) put them in a checked bag.

Recommended carry-on items:

~ Passport ~ Visa ~ Wallet ~ Housekeys ~ Prescription medications for 2 days ~ Empty water bottle – refill after security on your way to the gate. ~ Guidebook, reading material ~ Notepad, pen ~ Eye mask and earplugs ~ Copy of itinerary and reservations ~ Power cord/charger for your mobile device, if you plan to use it on the plane (or in case you are bumped overnight). Save your battery; most airlines offer arm-rest plug-in power.

63. Search for flight #. Before you leave for the airport, confirm that your departing flight is on time! A simple Internet search for “airline + flight #” will provide the status of your flight. (Example search: United Airlines 216) j

61 “We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls.” – Anais Nin

TRANSIT TIPS

64. Always carry water. Stay hydrated. Carry an empty bottle through airport h security (restrictions on liquids are tight) and fill it before you board your plane. (If you ask politely, the flight attendant will fill it for you.) Dehydration is a major travel issue for many, aggravated by the air conditioning common on flights and in hotels.

Recommended: Buy a bottle. Juice anyone? En Italy: One surprising pleasure route or shortly after arriving, I discovered near Sorrento, was buy a beverage to re-use as a the delicious red orange juice water bottle. Regular, full-size from blood oranges. I couldn’t water bottles burden you with get enough. too much weight and bulk. But a Fanta soda bottle (500 ml), for example, is strong unbreakable plastic with a size that fits better in your pocket, daypack or carry-on.

62 65. Pack a snack. Eat when you France: As a young boy, I spent want – on a plane, during lay- the summer with a school buddy overs, in a taxi – don’t be at their in a beach town on the Bay of mercy! Bring cheese, power Biscay. I learned to roll my Rs, bars, carrots, oranges, raisins, and was introduced to new foods. apples, sandwiches; after Yogurt in those days was sold as a health food; it wasn’t flavored, clearing security, buy bottled so we were allowed to add sugar. drinks or chocolate milk. A bag Being kids, we over-did it a bit. of nuts, dried fruit, or trail mix We added so much sugar that it isn’t likely to spill, spoil or crush, crunched when we ate it. and takes up little space. If your lodging includes a breakfast buffet, pack sandwiches, etc., as a lunch contingency. France: One beach snack I Be ready to discard foods liked a lot was pan au chocolat – chocolate sandwich! Break when crossing a border. Pack off a 3-inch long piece of a portable meal in case baguette, then tear lengthwise restaurants are closed, for a sandwich. Between the especially when arriving late, two crusts, insert a piece of bar and for travel days when you’ll chocolate. Easy, no mess, sweet and crunchy! spend a lot of time waiting in and for planes.

Recommended: While touring, drop into a market and Italy: Wine was inexpensive buy local foods you can eat everywhere I looked in Germany without prep: veggies, fruits, and Italy. In Florence, I bought deli salads, cheese, bread, a bottle of local wine near my pensione. Upon returning from olives, wine, prepared meats ... my day’s adventures, I took it to Grocery shopping in a foreign visit the room of the two women country is a lot of fun – and I’d chatted with at breakfast. As provides a healthy, educational soon as I noticed that only one meal. Now you are ready for an of their beds had been slept in, I realized they were a gay couple. impromptu dinner in your room or lunch on the church steps.

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66. Sit smart. Plan in advance where to sit when making a seat selection, or queuing to POSH: “Port Out, Starboard board a train/bus/ferry. Where Home” was a phrase used a will the sights be, relative to hundred years ago by vacationing your direction of travel? If English to avoid the harsh sun you’re prepared by knowing when booking a cabin for round trip steamship travel to India. where to sit, you can make a bee line to that side, where seats may disappear quickly. Avoid the sunny side if you plan to read or watch a (video Peru: Planning and hard work or computer) screen. are usually what it takes to succeed. But on my flight from Driving the Amalfi coast, sit on Cuzco to Lima, I won the lottery! the side facing the sea for My seat number was drawn in Peruvian Airlines' anniversary photo ops of boats and celebration. Unfortunately, I fabulous mansions; on a realized that it would cost more double-decker bus in Rome, than it was worth to fly back sit on the right side of the bus and redeem my prize, a free (on top is best) when you round trip flight. circle the Colosseum; driving on Highway 1 to Hearst Castle, sit on the ocean side to see the surf and precipitous cliffs.

64 67. In cities, use taxis. A taxi Italy: At the train station, ride saves time, energy and arriving in Naples from Rome, I your feet, provides safety, and lined up for a taxi. As soon as prevents you from getting lost, my luggage was in the trunk and a real time-waster. It also I was in the seat, the taxi driver buys a consultation – your announced: “Fixed price!” opportunity to pump the driver for local info and ask any questions you might have, Mexico: In Mexico City, the such as for sightseeing subway was so packed at rush recommendations, directions, hour, I couldn’t get to the door pronunciation ... Take a taxi in time and missed my stop! the first time you go to a place you’ll need to return to (laundry, bank, etc.) – to get the directions – thereafter Turkey: We had a long walk you’ll be able to find it easily from the Blue Mosque back to on your own. Before exiting, our hotel in Istanbul. Turns out it’s closed at night. Funny that get specific directions to the the taxi driver had enough English entrance of your destination. to assure us it would be open.

Recommended: Don’t hail taxis on the street; ask your hotel or restaurant to call one China: Departing Beijing, for you. Women traveling alone when my taxi arrived at the should keep their luggage close airport, the driver opened the – you don’t have control if your trunk and allowed two strangers to ‘help’. They grabbed my luggage is in the trunk (and a luggage and began to race with suitcase can be used as a it into the terminal. I chased shield or defensive weapon). after them and stopped them, when one of them produced a piece of paper, which seemed to be a tariff of some kind, and demanded I pay him the amount shown. I knew immediately it was a scam. I crumpled the paper and gestured for them to shoo!

65 “No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.” – Lin Yutang

HOTEL/HOME

68. Your room is not ready! Italy: Waiting for my hotel Be prepared with a plan in room near the Piazza Bellini in case your room is unavailable Naples, I decided to walk when you initially arrive, a around the block. How much common problem, especially if trouble could I get in? I got you arrive before 3:00 pm. lost and had to retrace my steps to find the hotel again! Sure, you can store your bags and go out to eat, but a short excursion nearby is a better contingency plan. Pre-locate the nearest tourist site, shopping, metro stop, body of water, etc.

Recommended: Ask the receptionist to recommend a short adventure. If all else fails, take a (double decker) bus tour!

66 69. Room check. Inspect key China: If I’d known, I would features when you first see have requested a different room. your room – before unpacking: Behind my hotel in a Beijing alley, a work crew raised quite ~ Is there hot water? a din – at midnight! I yelled at them in English to no avail. ~ Does the TV remote control I complained to the front desk work? and the clerk yelled at them ~ Bed bugs? Check the corners appropriately – in Chinese. The lesson: Avoid rooms near a and seams of the sheets/ loading dock. mattress (use a magnifier + flashlight) for: • tiny blood stains (look like rust spots) • insect body parts • very tiny flat ovals, almond-shaped, reddish-brown, size of an apple seed • eggs are pearly white, about 1 millimeter long, and appear in clusters

Rectify problems immediately; ask for another blanket, pillow, more towels, hangers, etc.

Recommended: If there’s any problem with the room, ask to see another.

a 70. Arrival checklist:

~ Reset to local time - camera, watch, phone, gadgets ... ~ Lock your passport+visa in the safe, along with extra cash and credit/debit cards. ~ If it’s hot, draw drapes, chill beverages, turn on air conditioning. ~ Transfer pocket knife/wine tool from checked bag to pocket or daypack. ~ Buy bottled water if the tap water is unsafe to drink.

67 71. Hotel clerk = info source. The desk clerk (or concierge) can be i an excellent source of information, maybe even in your own language, so capitalize on it. (And tip accordingly.)

Standard questions:

• What time is breakfast? • May I borrow an electrical adapter? • What’s the wi-fi password? • Is tipping customary? • What good tourist sites Italy: At the business hotel are nearby? where I stayed in Rome, there was a significant tourist site • Where is the nearest nearby, but management made laundry? no attempt to inform customers! • How do I get to ...? • Can you order a taxi for me? • How much should a taxi cost to ...? • Where is it unsafe after dark? • Can you make a call for me?

Switzerland: Returning at mid- 72. Magic ticket home. night after my day’s adventure, Whenever you leave your I couldn’t remember the street lodging, carry a card with its name where I was staying on a visit to a college buddy in Basel, name and address. A match near the zoo. All I could say to book or business card is your the taxi driver was “Zo”. ‘Get out of Jail Free’ card – something to show when instructing a taxi driver or asking for directions back. Hong Kong: Navigating the streets was often difficult. On an island, many streets are curved; with skyscrapers all over, it was hard to see landmarks; the profusion of (multi- lingual) signage was confusing. Coming home to the nearby subway station one night, I still had to take a taxi to find my hotel — even though I knew it was within a couple blocks. (Okay, my feet were tired too.)

68 “We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” – T. S. Eliot

TECH TALK

Mexico: Before my trip, Google 73. Mobile Maps. Maps on mobile Maps provided a great tool to devices = a marriage made in map key resources around my heaven. Electronic maps offer hotel – ATM, grocery, ice cream. much more detail than paper maps ever could – shops, restaurants, tourist sites, etc. And you can search for ‘ATM’, ‘metro’, ‘grocery’, ‘ice cream’ ... Tech Tip: Get Google Maps from your app store or Google.com/maps – download maps for offline use. Enable GPS location and it will even The Netherlands: Flying into pinpoint ‘You are here’! Amsterdam, I had a long chat with my seat-mate, a local, about the legalization of prostitution 74. Leave your electronics at and the discrimination it had home. “Be here now” is a focused on sex workers. Another wise philosophy. And it spares time, flying to Asia, I had a fascinating discussion about “sleep you the risk of theft/loss, and hygiene” with a graduate student. the entire issue of adapters/ converters. Electronic gadgets are too immersing for travel: Hotel Internet is notoriously they reduce your awareness of dangerous, infrequently scanned for malware and often crime risks around you – and targeted by criminals, the potential to meet new especially in business-center friends. If you can’t leave your cities. Key point: Don’t login gadget at home, at least leave to the wrong network – ask for it in your bag. the hotel’s exact network name – and beware similar ‘evil twins’!

69 75. You’ve got email. Malaysia: The power failed Cyber cafes are while I was checking my email - common worldwide at an Internet café in Kuala and a good option Lumpur. I was frustrated by compared to carrying losing work and the sluggish a gadget/computer. If system. Tech problems often spoil that vacation feeling. you really need to, drop in for some cyber time every few days. Make sure to bring a list of email addresses you might want to use, and all the details you’ll need (webmail address, login names, passwords, etc.) – it’s easy to forget out of context. Tech tip: If you decide to travel with a computer, take Skype software (and a headset) with you. Free video calls to other Skype users, and only a couple cents/minute for phone calls to anyone.

76. Charge your gadgets over night. While you get your Italy: Check for a 110 volt “Shaver” outlet in your rest, remember to use the bathroom – the staff at my overnight hours to recharge hotel didn’t know it was there. your camera, batteries, computer, mobile phone, etc., so they’re fresh in the morning. Most cameras and computers can handle 110 and 220 volts, but you’ll probably still need an international adapter to physically plug in. If your device can only handle 110 volts, then you’ll need a converter, too. Many hotels have adapters (and possibly converters) available to borrow from the reception desk; ask in advance. Tech tip: Carry a ‘power bank’. If you are staying in hostels or moving from lodging to lodging, you may find it difficult at times to access a power outlet, or it might expose your gear to theft. A ‘power block’ USB battery charger may be just the ticket. Carry power with you to recharge your electronics at any time, even on the go! Internet search “power bank” for several chargers in the $20 range.

70 “Travel becomes a strategy for accumulating photographs.” – Susan Sontag

CAMERA CLUES

77. Photography secrets. The best and easiest way to Borneo: After I snapped a improve your photography: photo of the river delta, I saw that a cloud had perfectly Take lots of photos – many, bisected the frame – half was many photos. Then delete the sunny and bright, the other half bad ones to leave the best. A dark and brooding – which good time to edit is at a seemed to me to reflect the two restaurant, after you’ve moods of the island. ordered dinner and are waiting in the dim light for your meal to be served.

Recommended: Walk, use Borneo: I visited Bako Park in the light of magic hour (sunrise Sarawak, a nature preserve which or sunset), and hang your is only accessible by boat. I took camera around your neck – to some great photos there. My be ready in museums/galleries favorites were of a remarkably or on a bus, and to avoid pigmented rock face with streaks of yellow and purple. pickpockets on the street. It was a natural work of art. Morning is a good time to visit Amazingly, one section strongly a market or go for a jog. resembled the painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel of God’s hand touching Adam’s.

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78. Photograph faces. It’s the China: My friend was detained people that matter. If you want and questioned by Beijing your pictures to capture police! A woman had followed memories, focus on faces and her on the street and accused expressions – your fellow her of taking photos – to steal travelers and locals who people’s souls! mattered. And make sure you are in some of the shots. Switzerland: Staying with my Recommended: Ask first. buddy Steve in Basel, it was fun to play with his 4 year old daugh- Do not photograph Muslims, ter. She told me she liked to monks, people praying, rural sing upside down. And then she Chinese, Gypsies, indigenous demonstrated; she hung by her peoples, and military knees and sang a song. She was installations. so cute it made me laugh. It was a rare moment of pure innocence. Where was my camera?

79. Store images in your camera. It’s convenient to refer to your passport, visa, itinerary, or ticket if you carry an image of it in your camera or cell phone. (You can refer to your images more effectively if you figure out how to use your camera’s zoom feature to magnify the photo you are viewing.) Alternatively, email the images to yourself.

80. Take ‘signpost’ pictures. Digital photography makes picture-taking almost free. So, let loose and expand your photos to grab visual information of all kinds. Menus, meals (colorful and evocative), before and after a haircut or packing your luggage, the people you meet, your lodgings, the vehicles you travel in. Snap shots to help identify locations and objects you’ve photographed: building names, store signage, freeway and street signs, art captions, and museum legends.

Recommended: Grab images of bus maps, train schedules – even the marquee identifying the bus you’ll need to return to after your tour!

72 “Unusual travel suggestions are dancing lessons from the gods.” – Kurt Vonnegut

TRAVEL ‘TO DO’

81. Do the double-decker. A bus tour gives an easy, inexpensive, v informative introduction to an area, and spares your feet. Don’t forget hat, sun screen, water, and camera. Suggested Turkey: We jumped on a bus Internet searches: in Istanbul, but couldn’t figure out how to pay. As fate would “bus tours”, “hop on hop off have it, a few minutes later an bus”, “double decker bus”. inspector got on the bus and Recommended: Best view is started eyeing us and trying to on top! (unless it’s raining, or talk to us, no doubt asking to you’re in Britain). see our tickets. Soon, several passengers started arguing with the inspector; I think he wanted to fine us for fare evasion! We played dumb (we were dumb) and escaped at the next stop.

82. Borrow-a-bike. Ride to nearby attractions for an inexpensive adventure. Many major tourist destinations (Amsterdam, b Beijing, Copenhagen, London, Mexico City, Madrid, Milan, NY City, Paris, Seville, Stockholm, Vienna) have bike-share programs – short term, one-way bicycle rentals from 24-hour automated racks. Many are priced as low as $10 a day. And now scooters are spreading, too!

73 83. Steam, soak or scrub? Turkey: I enjoyed a 100 year Relax with a steam bath or hot old Turkish bath (hamami) in tub – a pleasant break for the Istanbul. You can find them in family or solo traveler, especially many Eastern and Western on a rainy day. If you've really cities, including Bath, Beirut, done your duty as a tourist Budapest, Istanbul, London, Marrakech, Paris, Rome, and and pounded out the miles, Vienna. ask for a foot massage!

Lourdes (France), Baden-Baden (Germany), and Marienbad (Czech Republic) are world famous for their waters, but many countries have notable thermal baths: • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hot_springs • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_spa_towns

84. Visit a vista. It seems human Bolivia: I love a ride in the sky nature to look as far as the eye and the Teleférico La Paz can see. Shanghai Tower offers aerial cable car system offers an the world's highest observation impressive moving panorama. deck (as well as the world's Have a treat nearby: Try a fastest elevators). For a high dulce de leche salteño. altitude thrill, walk into space 1,017 feet up on the glass-floored ‘Mahana- khon SkyWalk’ atop Bangkok’s tallest building. Survey the sights from other famous high points, such as the Eiffel Tower (Paris), the Leaning Tower of Pisa (Italy), the Empire State Building (NY City), the Acropolis (Athens), the Millennium Wheel (“London Eye” Ferris wheel), the Petronas Twin Towers (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), the Torre Latinoamericana (Mexico City), the hilltop statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, the Travelator escalator system in the Hong Kong hills, and the Stratosphere roller-coaster (Las Vegas). Get the details with these Internet searches: “top vista + location” or “best view + location” or “famous view + country” and check this list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Observation_deck g

74 85. Suit up. In many countries, the cost of labor and cloth is low compared to what you’ll find at home. Tailors who make custom-made suits want your measurements in major cities across the world, Hong Kong leading the way. Recommended: Allow at least a week, more for 2 fittings. While you’re at it, why not get two?

86. Go grave-hunting. Paying England: The architecture at respect to the dead is an ancient Westminster Abbey in London is custom. Many graveyards are very impressive, as is the famous for the people interred collection of famous people there and can provide a moment buried there. I was reminded of of tranquility for families and solo a famous line from English poet Thomas Gray: “The paths of travelers amongst beautiful glory lead but to the grave.” tailored gardens and impressive statuary. Père Lachaise Cemetery (Paris), the most visited cemetery in the world, is famous for its long list of luminaries, including Oscar Wilde, Gertrude Stein, Jim Morrison, Richard Wright, Simone Signoret, Edith Piaf, Chopin, Molière, Proust, and Balzac. Montmarte Cemetery (Paris) includes Stendahl, Truffaut, and a Zola bust. Montparnasse Cemetery (Paris) inters Simone de Beauvoir, Samuel Beckett, Guy de Maupassant, and Jean-Paul Sartre. The Panthéon (Paris) holds Victor Hugo, Rousseau, Voltaire, and Zola. Westminster Abbey (London) is the final resting place for several monarchs, as well as Chaucer, Darwin, Dickens, Handel, Thomas Hardy, Samuel Johnson, Ben Jonson, Kipling, Isaac Newton, Laurence Olivier, Edmund Spenser, and Tennyson. Highgate Cemetery (London) is where Karl Marx (“Workers of All Lands, Unite”), George Eliot, and Douglas Adams are buried. Hollywood Forever Cemetery (Los Angeles) is the resting place for Cecil B. DeMille, Rudolph Valentino, Mel Blanc, and the Ramones. Keats and Shelley are buried at the Protestant Cemetery (Rome). Find the specifics with this Internet search: “famous cemetery + location” or “famous grave + location” or “name + burial”. Looking for someone specific? Check www.findagrave.com/famous-memorial. Recommended: Take paper and charcoal or chalk to make a tombstone rubbing.

75 87. Hotel history. Some hotels have a notable past. Celebrity events, tragedies ... things have to happen somewhere. If you’re in the neighborhood, check out: • Australia, Sydney, Ritz-Carlton, Room 534 - 1997 suicide of Michael Hutchence, lead singer of Aussie rock group INXS. He hanged himself with his belt under the influence of several drugs. The property is now the Sir Stamford Hotel at Double Bay. • Cuba, Havana, Ambos Mundos Hotel, Room 511 - Ernest Hemingway lived here for 7 years while writing For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940). • Egypt, Aswan, Old Cataract Hotel - Agatha Christie wrote and set her novel Death on the Nile here on the banks of the Nile in 1937. • England, London, Ritz Hotel, Trafalgar Suite - Setting for the 1999 movie Notting Hill starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. • France, Cannes, Carlton Intercontinental Hotel - Alfred Hitchcock’s 1955 film To Catch a Thief, starring Grace Kelly and Cary Grant, was set here, on the luxurious Riviera. • France, Paris, Hotel Lancaster, Marlene Dietrich Suite - Home for 3 years to world famous film star Marlene Dietrich in the 1930s. • France, Paris, Le Meurice, Presidential Suite - Rooms 106-108 served as home to Salvador Dali for 2 months a year for 30 years, beginning in 1927. • Italy, Venice, Grand Hotel des Bains - Provided the setting for Death in Venice, by Thomas Mann, the 1912 novel and 1971 film. • Kenya, Aberdare, Treetops Lodge - In 1952, Princess Elizabeth of England visited this safari lodge for her honeymoon with Prince Philip. While there, King George VI died, making her Queen Elizabeth II. ‘She arrived a princess and left a queen.’ • The Netherlands, Amsterdam Hilton, Room 902 - 1969 “bed-in for peace” during the honeymoon of Beatle John Lennon and Yoko Ono. • Philippines, Manila Hotel, Room 901 - 1935 to 1941, the penthouse served as the residence for Gen. Douglas MacArthur. (Source: Hotel Secrets from the Travel Detective, Peter Greenberg)

76 88. Martial arts. For the athletically China: “Striking asp” is a inclined, a short lesson in a fighting traditional Kung Fu lesson in art can offer a memorable exper- how to deliver a poke in the eye. ience and valuable cultural insights. Visit a martial arts studio or ask your hotel for a recommendation. A 2-hour private lesson is enough time to learn the bow, the stance, the yell, and one technique:

• Brazil - Capoeira – learn to cartwheel • China - Kung fu – learn “Striking asp” • Japan - Judo – learn a basic throw - Karate – learn the twisting punch - Kendo – learn a basic sword attack - Ninja – visit a Ninja Academy in Tokyo - Sumo – visit the National Sumo Stadium • Korea - Tae Kwon Do – learn the snap kick • Philippines - Escrima – learn stick fighting basics • Thailand - Muay Thai – watch a match; fights are scheduled every weekend in Bangkok

89. Shoot the moon. Learning to shoot a gun, or doing it just for fun, can entertain the family or solo traveler (especially on a rainy day). In Las Vegas, you can shoot a machine gun! Blast terrorists with a .50 cal! If you happen to be in Phnom Penh (Cambodia), you can experience anything from rocking with an AK-47, to exploding a hand grenade, to firing an RPG or rocket launcher! Internet search: “Rifle/pistol/gun/shooting range + location”

90. Shop nonstop! Classic shopping experiences: • Grand Bazaar, Istanbul - A warren of 4,000+ shops steeped in history. Bargain! • Patpong, Bangkok - famous red light district and night market (pedestrian zone) • Champs-Élysées, Paris - 1.2 miles of cafes, theaters, and luxury shops to the finish line for the Tour de France bicycle race • Mercado Central, Lima - multi-story, largest market in South America; worth a full day • Mercado de la Merced, Mexico City - 15,000 stalls of food, clothing, everything ... • The Golden Mile, Nathan Road, Kowloon (Hong Kong) - 2.2 miles of restaurants, hotels, shops (jewelry, electronics ...)

77 Turkey: On the Turquoise Coast, I bought music I heard in 91. Super souvenirs: a music shop. I was amused to • music (CDs) find out later that it was an anti-American protest song. • recipe book e When you don’t understand the • haircut language, the words just become another instrument. • coins, stamps • cooking or language lesson • colorful liquor in an Italy: Take envelopes to a volcano. That’s what I learned reading attractive bottle Goethe’s Italian Journey; he got • candy, chocolate close enough to char the edges of an envelope on Vesuvius. • dance or circus performance Can’t beat that as a unique souvenir you can make yourself, Recommended: Don’t be like a penny on a railroad track. afraid to buy it the first time you see it. Don’t wait for a bargain; often crafts and unusual Turkey: In Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar in 1989, I was scouting items don’t turn up again. I wish for a leather jacket in a back I’d bought those elephant opium alley shop. I haggled hard with weights in Thailand, Limoncello the proprietor’s son who chain- in a star-shaped bottle on smoked throughout. I refused to Procida, and ceviche in Lima! budge from US $60 so he wasn’t happy, but his Dad gave the nod, and he took the cash. When we shook hands, he kept his cigar- 92. Solo travelers: ette in the hand he shook with. I • Travel by bus. decided it would be fruitless to feel insulted. Instead, I made a • Try group activities: quick exit, happy with my victory. bus tours, cooking or language classes, steam bath, hot springs ... Turkey: I was about to buy shoes in an Istanbul shop, but • Book group tours. They’ll the clerk insisted on charging assign a roommate at more than the price tag. I thought intrepidtravel.com or he was trying to cheat me, but contiki.com. See also finally he relented. Later, I real- solotravel.org, ized that, in my stupidity, I had browbeaten him into a discount eldertreks.com, – I had forgotten about a modern adventurecenter.com, invention called “sales tax.” gadventures.com, and specialtytravel.com. • Look for lodging at hostels Thailand: Landing in Bangkok, I queued for a taxi to my hotel. that offer drink specials, a “Are you a backpacker?” asked public TV room, pub crawls. the woman in line behind me. We • Go on a guided walking ended up sharing a taxi, and my tour (many are free). hotel room. Ela was English – designed lamps – returning from • Ask to eat at the bar a trade show in Sydney. We team- instead of a table. ed up for a trip to Chiang Mai. Travel creates instant friends.

78 93. Food specialities not to be missed:

• Austria - sacher-torte, Bolivia: I finally found peanut Tafelspitz soup! In the middle of Lake Titi- caca. I had been asking around • Bolivia - salteña, quinoa, for ‘sopa de mani’ and there I peanut soup, Pisco sour was on the Isla del Sol; it wasn’t on the menu, but I asked and the • Brazil - feijoada, churrasco, answer was ‘sí.’ I loved the pastel, passion fruit, noodles made of extruded potato. acai, Caipirinha • Canada - poutine, split pea China: One evening in Beijing, soup – the bacon I stumbled on a night market; there must have been 20 stalls • China - dim sum, century offering a huge variety of food- eggs, noodles, wonton on-a-stick: fish balls, shrimp, soup, Kung Pao squid, crawdads, snake, star fish (!), tiny scorpions, beetles, • England - cheddar, Yorkshire and ... penis! (That’s what the pudding, fish and chips, man said, but I was afraid to ask.) bangers and mash, Bubble and Squeak, China: Throughout my tour of Spotted Dick, Beef Sichuan province, the food was, Wellington, high tea yes, spicy. Perhaps you’ve had Kung Pao in America and • France - croissant, baguette, thought it was hot; in Sichuan, goat cheese, fruit tart, it’s cooked with mouth-searing charcute, escargot, red peppers and a secret champagne, wine ingredient, a spice (it resembles sprigs of pepper corns) which • Germany - bratwurst, beer, actually numbs the mouth – to schnitzel, sauerbraten, improve one’s ability to enjoy the nuances of the flavors. This sauerkraut, strudel took some adjusting to. • Greece - moussaka, dolma, baklava, ouzo, retsina France: During our tour of the • India - tandouri, biryani, curry, Alsace region, Steve and I lunched in Colmar: a feast masala, saag, vindaloo, called choucroute, a regional dosa, darjeeling tea specialty. Called Berner Platte by the Germans (i.e., a plate for • Italy - pizza, lasagna, the stout folk of Bern), it is a cannoli, polenta, small mountain of sauerkraut prosciuto, calamari, surrounded by potatoes and pig gelato, sfogliatella, derivatives (ham, bacon, pig's feet espresso, cappuccino, pâté, and a few kinds of sausage). grappa, Chianti We made a valiant effort. • Japan - sushi, tempura, ramen, tonkatsu, soba, France: One summer, I vaca- tioned with my 5th grade class- udon, gyoza, sake mate to visit his grandparents. I • Korea - kimchi, bibimbap, learned to swim in the Atlantic, and to appreciate the fruit tart – bulgogi, tofu soup a delightful mix of flavors and colors, flaky and sweet. Yum!

79 • Peru - ceviche, quinoa, pepino, Indonesia: On a small island guinea pig, chicharrones near Bali, I stayed overnight in a recently remodeled room on • Russia - borscht, pelmeni, the beach for US $9 per night. piroshki, beef stroganoff, For breakfast one day, I had an bliny, caviar, vodka inspiring introduction to a new food: Jaffle – a stuffed waffle. • South America - fish tacos, Mine was filled with cooked guacamole, fresh sliced fruit (pineapple). Delicious! mango, chilaquiles, empanadas, ceviche, Indonesia: I love seafood. My all- seafood, dulce de leche, time favorite meal anywhere was hard boiled quail eggs, grilled fish with lime in Bali, with anticuchos a beverage made of avocado; #2 would be fish chowder in • Thailand - Tom Ka soup, Lima (which contained a green mango, lichee, poached egg); #3 was batter- rambutan, durian fried shrimp in London, served in a funnel folded of newspaper. • Turkey - souvlaki, kebab, eggplant, Turkish Italy: I had pizza 3 times in delight, Smyrna figs, Naples, the place where pizza Turkish coffee, dolma, was invented; each time it was baklava, raki very salty – I think that’s a response to the hot climate. Did you know that pizza was invented , to display the colors of the Italian flag? Basil, mozzarella, and tomato make the Margherita pizza green, white and red. Thailand: This is the land of street food. Mobile carts are everywhere offering (under $1) Malaysia: Inside the elevator fresh fruit (pineapple, water- of my hotel in Kuala Lumpur, a melon, papaya, etc.), soup, sign was posted picturing a fruit omelets (oyster!), chestnuts, and that resembled a pineapple. The food-on-a-stick: satay, squid, fruit was crossed out above the carved hot dogs, sausages, words: “No Durians.” They are rice-filled sausage casings, and said to smell like a rotting corpse. batter-fried fake crab – my fav. With a review like that, I had to try it; mine didn’t smell that bad, but it also didn’t taste that good. Thailand: Every great city has “It’s good to try new things.” a river. In Bangkok, it’s the Chao Phraya. The long-tail boats make for a fun ride or a Malaysia: I saw a demonstration speedy commute for only a of how bird nests (for soup) are dime. Especially near the river, reconstructed. To avoid twigs, street vendors will cook you a feathers, etc., the individual treat – an oyster omelet – briny strands of bird saliva are removed with the fresh taste of the delta! with tweezers and set into a mold.

Thailand: Rambutan is the Peru: My favorite South world’s weirdest-looking fruit! American fruit is the pepino – Outside, they are surrounded by yellow-skinned with brown gangly red hairs which look and stripes, something like an apple, feel like plastic. Inside, juicy with a sweet juicy cantaloupe and sweet, like lichee. Luscious! taste and a crisp mouthfeel.

80 “Own only what you can carry with you; know language, know countries, know people. Let your memory be your travel bag.” – Aleksander Solzhenitsyn

NUTS AND BOLTS New Google tool: I’ve missed several tourist sites because I arrived too late in the day, just 94. Be time-smart. Avoid before closing. If you’re commute and weekend connected to the Internet, Google’s new Popular Times® congestion, and remember bar graphs can help! They show which day is the Sabbath – opening, closing, and busy times. Friday (Islamic), Saturday (Jewish) or Sunday (Christian) – when banks/offices/shops/ transit/restaurants may be less available. First things first, but not if everyone does it. It’s human nature to prioritize, consequently major Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy tourist sites are heavily visited in the first half of the day – try to avoid the tour buses and cruise ships. It often works best to delay your visit to must-see spots until the relaxed priorities of late afternoon. Hermitage Museum, Russia

Tech Tip: Before visiting a potentially crowded venue, do a Google search to see the Popular Times® graph, like the 3 shown at right. (To learn more, see Brave Frida Kahlo Museum, Mexico City New Tool, Tip #14.)

81 95. Mind your Mondays. Most museums in the world are closed on Monday. But you Germany: I arrived in Staufen can avoid a surprise with a to see the alchemy lab of Faust simple Internet search: (site of the famous ‘deal with “museum name + hours”. the devil’ explosion), only to Instead, how about a bus or find it closed that day. Instead, I hiked up to the local castle, walking tour, boat ride, visit to surrounded by scenic vineyards, a park or archeological site, to watch the sun set – after or a shopping expedition! supplying myself with bread, cheese, grapes and a doomed Recommended: Avoid bottle of Riesling. museums on free days (often Tuesdays); lines will be long and crowds will be thick. P

Italy: If I hadn’t noticed a tour group following their leader’s flag, I would have missed the N cemetery in Rome where Keats and Shelley are buried – a tranquil and reflective spot with 96. Look for lines. Sometimes it its own ancient pyramid! pays to follow the wisdom of the crowd. A queue beside a restaurant or street food stall is a good recommendation. Peru: I was attracted by a When in Rome, follow other Sunday parade and ceremony at the main square in Cuzco. I pedestrians to cross the street watched for a while then strolled through wild traffic. Offloading off to follow a stream of pedes- at the airport, follow your trians into a “chicharroneria” fellow passengers to the bag- – What’s that? Soon, I was gage claim carousel. Ask enjoying a once-in-a-lifetime travelers coming from your treat of steaming chicharrones (sinfully fatty pork with crispy destination about visas, skin) just as the line outside for transit, lodging, and lunch swelled. sightseeing. A crowd of tourists can flag a site you didn’t know about, or signal when to get off at the right Germany: On a day trip into the Black Forest, I failed to bus/train stop. There’s safety notice the tiny word ‘Bus’ on in numbers; if they are doing it, one leg of my return train ticket maybe it’s right for you, too! – and foolishly ignored the crowd queued at the bus stop. I missed my transfer back to the main train station and had to walk a mile in the dark along a spur track to get there.

82 97. Wake up an hour earlier, painlessly. Take advantage of jet lag. Next time you return from vacation in another time zone, reset your rising time when you get back. @ Since you’ve got to reset your daily cycle anyway, might as well exploit it. Simply reset your alarm clock an hour earlier. To help your body adhere to the new rhythm, go to sleep at the same time each night, eat soon after waking, get plenty of sunlight and daytime exercise.

98. Go far first. Head all the way in to begin your tour of a fair, amusement park, or archeological site, then enjoy the sights as you work your way ù back out. That is, ‘go the distance’ – expend the maximum energy initially – then drift back to your entry point, so that when you’re done (and tired), you’re near the exit. Check out: ThemeParkInsider.com.

Recommended: Arrive early to queue up for the China: As part of a wedding morning opening to enjoy party, I was privileged to visit the top attractions without the Jiuzhaigou nature preserve. Recently opened, it is nestled in waiting; it’s likely to be the mountains of the Tibetan cooler, less crowded, and plateau in Southwestern China you can park closer. – a forty minute flight north from Chengdu. The peaks wore caps of snow. The lakes pooled water clear as glass. Good Italy: Tired after pounding the timing rewarded us with streets of Pompeii for hours amazing contrasts in the color under the hot sun (there is no of the trees: red, orange, green, shade there because the and yellow. The streams and volcano’s eruption in 79 AD waterfalls sparkled with water collapsed all the roofs), I left that glowed iridescent with abruptly when I stumbled minerals leached from the across a back exit – and had a mountains. Every snapshot was long walk back to the train worthy of a postcard. It is the station. I never did find the most beautiful place I know on ancient brothel. Earth.

83 B 99. Taboos. It’s polite to learn local customs, so do a bit of research. Dress and act respectfully when visiting religious sites. Pointing or beckoning with a finger is risky in many countries, as is the ‘V’ for victory/peace sign and the Indonesia: When I beckoned thumbs up hitchhiking signal. across the room, gesturing More often than not, if you ‘come here’ by curling my index compliment an item, it will be finger, I got a strong negative given to you in China and reaction. I had apparently Arab nations. Touching and implied that his penis was only public display of affection is that big. Oops! I was confronted, his voice rose, and risky in Egypt and the Middle it took an abject apology to East. The OK signal (thumb smooth over my social faux pas. touching index finger) is an insult in Russia, Germany and Latin America. For more, visit China: On the bus ride from traveletiquette.co.uk Beijing to The Great Wall, I sat next to a student who had a In Muslim countries – Africa, persimmon perched atop the India (Kashmir), Indonesia, the book on his lap. I told him I Middle East, Pakistan, Turkey: liked persimmons very much – and he immediately gave it to • Do not use your left hand – me! Traveling light, I had to touch people or food, nothing I could spare to give or handle money or him in return; all I could do gifts. It is used for was give him my business card and smile thankfully. personal hygiene and considered unclean. • A gift is customary when Peru: I was lucky enough to visit visiting a home, but not Lima at Halloween. It was a fine made of pig skin. No adventure, a giant mercado, and footballs! great food. And it turns out that they are really enthusiastic about • Do not touch people on the Halloween; skulls and spider webs head (the most sacred were all over the storefronts. part of the body). • Do not expose the sole of your foot (as when crossing one’s legs).

In Buddhist countries – Bali, China, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Tibet: • Do not touch people on the head (such as children)

• Feet are unholy. Do not Thailand: In the hill country expose the sole of your near Chiang Mai, we were foot or touch anyone or admonished not to sleep with anything with your feet. our feet pointing at the shrine near the entrance to our hut.

84 100. Counter crime. A passport China: In Macau, a gambling plus a gadget is an resort, I was briefly caught up irresistible target to thieves! in a wave of prostitutes! Appar- • Don’t look like a tourist: ently, as the beat cops make their rounds, the women race away Avoid the fanny pack, shorts, from them – whistling to warn logo-emblazoned T-shirts, each other – and at times this and bright sports shoes ... creates a powerful ripple effect. • Don’t act like a tourist: Try Italy: In Rome, when I saw the not to use electronics/earbuds same guy three times, I realized /headphones, take pictures, that I was being followed. or read maps in public. I stared at him hard until he • Maintain awareness of who nonchalantly drifted away. might be watching you. Stay Peru: On a Cuzco street, a gang alert (and sober), especially of pickpockets got my camera in crowds, just before the bus after they crowded me against a or train leaves, or when a wall and threw sand at the back stranger offers to help (with of my neck to distract me. your baggage, etc.). Italy: On a train Rome to Naples, • Use ATMs during bank hours. a young couple told me how some- • Be careful what you write in one helped put their luggage social media – don’t advertise (several wheeled cases) on the rack above our seating. A case that your home is vacant. was maneuvered to block view • Carry coin for restrooms and of their backpack (cash inside) – transit, and small bills so you which they discovered was mis- avoid problems getting change. sing just as the train pulled out. • Count your change immediately Italy: In Rome, I used a bill to • Avoid arrival in an unfamiliar pay for my Metro fare at a ticket booth. I was given coin place after dark. in change and left. Minutes • When you leave your hotel later, I realized I was due some room, leave the TV on and paper bills as well – I got the use the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign small change but not the big change. I went back and accosted to give the impression that the agent in the booth, to no you’re in the room. avail. I learned later this cheat • Sit mid-bus or -train car for a is called giving 'slow change.' more comfortable ride and a The Netherlands: In Amsterdam, safer experience (regarding there are dozens of ‘coffee shops’ assault/theft/collision). where you can buy marijuana – • Women: Wear a wedding ring. and probably also get a cuppa Minimize jewelry and makeup. java. I watched a demo of a vaporizer (powered by a light • Carry a whistle in case of trouble. bulb) – designed to heat the • Use an app like getbsafe.com green stuff to release the active ingredient without actually or gobugle.com to setup alerts. burning it – no smoke is better • Be wary after a purchase if for the lungs. At the end of the the shopkeeper offers to pack- presentation, the man turned to me and asked if I wanted to try age it for you in the back it. I was floored to be offered room, likewise free shipping. marijuana in a commercial setting – in broad daylight!

85 101. Travel by numbers. Outside the U.S., you’ll often need to deal with metric values. When writing or typing money amounts, it’s extremely important to use the correct notation: In metric, use a comma as the decimal separator (1 gallon = 3,8 liters, $1 = €1,15) – instead of period/dot as in the U.S. and Britain. In metric, use a period/dot as the thousands/millions symbol (1.000,00 euros) – instead of comma as in the U.S. and Britain. More examples: 98,6º and €1.000.000,00

Temperature: When using a weather report to plan your next day’s adventure, or deciding on a setting for the air conditioning: 212°F = 100°C (boiling) 64 = 18 98.6 = 37 62 = 17 90 = 32 60 = 16 80 = 27 58 = 14 72 = 22 56 = 13 70 = 21 50 = 10 68 = 20 (A/C target) 40 = 4 66 = 19 32 = 0 (freezing)

Speed/distance/length: When looking at a map or road signs or estimating travel times: 1 inch = 2.5 centimeters 8 inches = 20 cm 1 foot = 0.3 meter (30.5 cm) 1 yard = 0.91 meter (91 cm) 39 inches = 1 meter (3.28 feet) . 1 yard 5 feet = 1.5 meters (152 cm) 0.62 miles = 1 kilometer 1 mile = 1.6 km 100 miles = 161 km 150 miles = 241 km 25 mph = 40 km per hour 45 mph = 70 km per hour 68 mph = 110 km per hour

Weight: For buying candy or groceries: 1 ounce = 28 grams 3.5 ounces = 100 grams 1 pound = 0.45 kilogram (454 grams) 35 ounces = 1 kg = 2.2 pounds 100 pounds = 45 kg 175 pounds = 79 kg

Volume: When shopping or filling the gas tank: 0.42 cup = 100 ml = 3.4 oz (carry-on liquid max) 1 cup = 284 ml = 0.28 liter 4.2 cups = 1 liter . 1 quart = 0.26 gallon 1 gallon = 3.8 liters (3785 milliliters)

86 Bonus ®tip!

102. Travel risks. Danger! Danger! Don’t do that. Beware common travel risks. It’s easy to screw up when suffering from jet lag, diarrhea, travelers’ stress, or disorientation. Use caution when tired or attempting something for the first time.

Do not:

• Get too close to wild animals (so cute!)

• Drive: – on the wrong side of the street(!) – if signage is in a foreign language – an unfamiliar vehicle (Segway, boat, motorcycle, manual transmission ...)

• Do risky new things when jet-lagged (parasail, jet ski, horseback riding, bike or scooter ride ...)

• Take risks to snap that terrific photo for social media or the perfect selfie

• Eat risky street food – only eat cooked foods and washed or peeled fruit and vegetables

• Forget to wash your hands

• Take a tumble getting on/off buses or boats, or walking on cobblestones or potholed streets/sidewalks

• Forget to use your seatbelt in a plane or taxi

• Drink too much

• Blindly follow others into risky behavior

Why buy travel insurance? Your health insurance may not cover you outside your healthcare system. Medicare coverage stops at U.S. borders. Hurricanes can be unpredictable.

87 Bonus ®tip! 103. English spoken here! Leap over a major tourist challenge. Below is a short list of destinations with an English-language advantage:

• American Samoa • Australia • Bahamas ... and much of • Barbados Africa, including • Belize • Bermuda • Botswana • Canada • Ethiopia • Cayman Islands • Gambia • Dominica • Ghana • England • Kenya • Fiji • Lesotho • Gibraltar • Liberia • Grenada • Malawi • Guam • Namibia • Hong Kong • Nigeria • India • Sierra Leone • Ireland • Somalia • Israel • South Africa • Jamaica • Swaziland • New Zealand • Uganda • Palau • Zambia • Philippines • Zimbabwe • Puerto Rico • Scotland • Singapore • Vanuatu • Virgin Islands

88 “What draws me in is that a trip is a leap in the dark. It's like a metaphor for life. You set off from home, and in the classic travel book, you go to an unknown place. You discover a different world, and you discover yourself.” – Paul Theroux